


Zootopia: The Paper Chase

by LapisLucius42



Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Drama, F/M, Law School, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-26
Updated: 2018-08-11
Packaged: 2018-11-19 01:41:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 26,348
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11303121
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LapisLucius42/pseuds/LapisLucius42
Summary: To survive law school and pass the bar, Judy needs to survive the first year. To that end, she needs a study group to help balance her school, part-time job, and other activities.





	1. First Day of Class

**Author's Note:**

> I have committed a sin by posting another story while working on others. I tried to resist but the lack of inspiration for them and the plot bunnies for this one were too strong.
> 
> Enjoy this new fic!

_The first years are hard years. Much more than we know._

* * *

 

"No! No! No! No! No!" 

Of all the days to sleep in, it had to be on the first day of law school at Zootopia University. The night before, Judy Hopps had prepared accordingly for the morning so she could get to class early: packing her books in the bag, laying out her clothes, and even setting an alarm clock as a precaution to her biological one. She had gone to bed excited for the first day and ready to learn. The only thing she didn't count on was that for some reason, her alarm failed to go off, and the doe woke up twenty minutes before class. When seeing the time, she squeaked and jumped out of bed in a panic. Thankful for last night's preparation, Judy had enough time to brush her teeth, wash her head, and eat a carrot for breakfast. She quickly put on her clothes and backpack and ran out of her room to her bicycle outside. She groaned when hearing that blasted alarm ringing while leaving. 

_Oh now you decide to go off!_

The doe furiously pedaled from her dorm, avoiding other students and trying to avoid being late to her first class: contract law. Judy rode up to the building, secured the bike to the rack, and ran for her life. At this point, she refused to check her watch for the time, not wanting to waste the precious seconds. In the building, she ran through the halls and down the stairs to the floor where the class was being held. One thing she learned about this particular contract law professor from its former students was to always be on time. The doe didn't need to ask further as being timely was second nature to her. Judy finally slowed down when she saw the door to the classroom, halting in front of it.

She opened the knob for small mammals such as herself and peeked inside the classroom. Her view was blocked by the large size mammals in front of her so she was forced to enter the classroom. But judging by the conversations going on, it appeared that the professor has yet to arrive. To confirm her hopes, Judy moved to the stairs leading down to the rows of long lecture hall tables on the side. The first thing she noticed was the mammals of varying size and species talking to one another or reading their books. But she focused on the front of the room and felt an overwhelming relief at not seeing the professor. With her confidence restored, she descended the stairs in search for her assigned seating. 

She was grateful to have one less thing to worry about because of this class's policy. The doe spotted the empty high chair down in the front row for small mammals that gave her a clear view of the board and professor. Her ears picked up the sound of a door opening from the front of the room. The doe looked to see a Cape Buffalo dressed in a black suit, pants, bowtie, and a white shirt while carrying books in his hooves, enter the room. Recognizing him as the professor, she hurried to her seat but not before the buffalo caught sight of her. The doe rushed to her chair, struggling to climb up to the seat when she reached it. She finally settled down in her seat, beginning to hastily unpack her books, papers, and pencil.

Meanwhile, the professor walked behind the wooden wall that spanned the distance of the chalkboard behind it. The wall separated him, the podium, desk, and drawer from the rest of the class. The buffalo placed his books on the podium and removed a folded sheet from between them. He moved to the drawer to his right, placing the sheet down on top. He unfolded it to reveal the seating chart for the contract law class that showed the pictures and listed the names of the students. The professor glanced at Judy who was moving her books and paper around, before putting on his reading glasses on and looking at the seating chart. He placed his hoof on the picture of a smiling, gray bunny. 

"Miss Hopps," A deep booming voice sounded.

Judy snapped her head to the front of the classroom from hearing her name just as she was finishing organizing her belongings. Bogo was staring right at her and it made her feel uneasy. "Yes, Professor Bogo?" _Why did he have to call_ on _me first?_

Bogo removed his glasses and leaned forward with his hooves on the wooden wall. "Will you please recite the facts of the case Hogkins v. McGrizzly?"

Judy froze at the question. She had reviewed the material of contract law, but she didn't expect to go into the specifics on the first day. All that confidence the doe came in with this morning had vanished. She wanted to answer but risked embarrassing herself in front of Bogo and the entire classroom.

"You are Miss Hopps. Am I correct?" Bogo asked again after getting no reply from her.

"Yes, my name is Hopps." Judy quickly replied, not noticing the other students in the room raising the arms to answer the question about the case.

"Miss Hopps, I cannot hear you properly from where you are sitting. Please speak up."

"Yes, my name is Hopps." She answered louder.

"Good. Will you stand so that the class will be able to understand you more clearly?"

Judy quietly and slowly rose up to where she stood on the chair. The display of the small rabbit among the larger mammals appeared comical, but the professor's presence kept the students silent.

"Now," Bogo continued "Fill the classroom with your intelligence as you give us the facts of the case."

There was no way around no matter how thorough she searched her mind. Judy was simply unprepared for class. "I haven't read the case." She said in defeat.

"You must have known that the class assignments for the first day were posted on the bulletin board of Thomas and Warren hall."

 _Of course it would be posted._ It hadn't crossed her mind to check for assignments when preparing for the first class meetings. She vowed to do so for the other classes later on to avoid the same mistake. "No, sir."

"So you assume that first class would be a lecture to introduce the course."

The bunny reluctantly nodded. "Yes, sir."

"Then I will make this point clear not just to you, but to everyone else here also." Bogo looked around the room to make sure he had their attention. "You never assume anything in my classroom. That goes for assignments, discussions, and exams."

Defeated, Judy went to sit back down when Bogo called her name again.

"Now Miss Hopps, I will myself give you the facts of the case," Bogo said as he walked to the podium. "Hogkins v. McGrizzly is a case in contract law, the subject of this course. A cub bear burned his paw from contact on an electric wire. The pig doctor involved in the case offered to operate on the paw, wishing to perform a skin graft while also guaranteeing that he would fully restore it."

Judy listened intently to Bogo as the rest of the students began writing down the facts.

"He removed a piece of skin from the cub's chest and grafted it onto his paw. Instead of producing a healthy paw, the operation failed to restore the paw properly and made it worse. Now Miss Hopps, what damages do you think the doctor should pay to the boy?"

Judy opened her mouth to speak, but in the short amount she was given, no words came out. Other students around her raised their paws once again to answer the question.

Bogo sighed deeply. "Alright, let's try again. What did the doctor promise?"

Judy cleared her throat, ready to answer this time. "The doctor promised to restore the cub's paw to before it was burned."

"And what was the result?"

"The paw was much worse than before the operation."

"So, the doctor failed to fulfill the promise made, and the boy suffered as a result. How should the court measure the damages?"

Judy nervously gulped as she formed an answer in her head. "The doctor should pay the difference from what was promised and what was received." She hoped the answer was enough but felt it was inadequate. 

"You may sit down now, Miss Hopps."

Feeling humiliated, Judy stepped down and slunk back into her seat, her ears falling behind her head and her mouth hanging open. She spent the remainder of the class staring vacantly at the front as Bogo called on other students to state the facts and ask for their opinions on various cases. The doe's mind mulled over her lack of preparation and coherence, and she felt sick to her stomach. She was unaware of the looks of pity she received from her fellow classmates.

When Bogo ended the class, Judy waited until the larger mammals had left to avoid being trampled. Once that happened, the doe immediately ran out of the classroom in search of the nearest bathroom, ignoring the students in the halls along the way. When she finally found one, the bunny busted through the door and into the nearest stall, proceeding to drop her backpack on the floor and empty her stomach of her breakfast. After a few minutes, she finally calmed down enough to gather her thoughts.

_Good job, Judy. You managed to make a fool of yourself on the first day of class. And on your first year of law school no less. Must be a new record._

Judy flushed her breakfast down the toilet, trying to not let the morning's class flush down her dreams of becoming a lawyer. The doe sighed deeply as she gathered her bag and washed her paws and face in the sink.

_This is going to be a long year._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First and foremost, do not expect frequent updates with this. Mainly because I'm an engineering student and I'm doing this out of curiosity. Updates will come only when I hit roadblocks with the other two.
> 
> Now for the background. The fic is inspired from The Paper Chase, a novel that came out in 1971 that was later adapted into a movie in 1973 and a tv series that ran from 1978-1979 and 1983-1986. All explore a law student's adventures and endeavors in Harvard Law School. Even though it's about law school, it still has some relevant things to the college experience. At least from my viewings. I've only seen clips of the movie and currently watching the tv series. I've seen all of season one and currently halfway through season two.
> 
> Here's to Judy's success in contract law!


	2. A Helping Paw

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Writer's block and school have hindered me on the other two stories but not this one. Muse can be weird.

_With good friends to love us. We'll field every blow._

* * *

 

AAAAAHHHHH! 

Confused and surprised students appeared from their rooms or stopped in the hall to investigate the sudden, random screaming. It lasted for a few seconds before stopping and leaving the mammals in a small commotion.

"That's just the Screamer!" The dorm adviser, a male armadillo with glasses assured. "Everything is alright! I promise that you have nothing to worry about. Please, go back to what you were doing!"

Still bewildered yet laughing at the explanation, the students returned to their business. The dorm adviser returned to the room he had been visiting to see the confused look on Judy's face.

"That's been going on for as long as I've been here, and nobody knows or has seen the mammal responsible. We can't even identify the species from the location of the scream, and you never know when it will happen. Could be at night. Could be during the day."

Judy groaned at having to put up with the noise. "I hope it doesn't happen when I'm sleeping."

"I haven't been woken up from the Screamer so far if that's any consolation."

"A little," The bunny would prefer to investigate the mammal responsible and have a few words, making a mental note to do so once she settled down with her courses. "Do you know how the Screamer came to be?"

"I heard it was Bogo that drove the student mad. Then again, he's driven others insane ever since he first taught here. I heard he ripped into this first-year student so bad this morning the poor mammal lost her breakfast after class.

Judy chuckled nervously and played with her ear. "Yeah, that was me."

The armadillo took pity on the doe. "Not the best start to his class," The dorm adviser made another check of his list as Judy organized the remainder of her belongings. "And that's about all I can tell you about the dorms. Any other questions?"

"Is there a pool?"

"Across the square. Do you swim?"

"Just curious. Exercising helps me study better. It clears your head and gets rid of all that stress from your body."

The dorm adviser nodded. "One more thing. Everything said about the grades is true. You got to work your tail off. Try to get a job if you don't make it."

Judy smiled confidently at the armadillo. "I'll make it."

The dorm adviser smiled at Judy before leaving her room. "Ciao."

Judy closed the door and resumed organizing her room. After the room was clean and in everything in their proper place, she sat at the desk and got to studying. The doe currently took six courses this semester and needed to plan her study schedule accordingly to avoid being overwhelmed and to get an A in all of them. Judy knew that law school would be difficult but was ready to take on the challenge from the moment she arrived.

A few hours passed when someone knocked on her door. "Coming!" Wondering who it could be, Judy went to answer and was surprised to see a smiling red fox standing outside. The vulpine wore a white dress shirt, black pants, and a tie that was blue with red stripes. The fox was also holding a few sheets of papers in one arm. Judy could see the predator trying to avoid showing teeth while smiling.

"Hi there. Can I come in?" A male voice spoke in a friendly tone.

Judy had a moment of hesitation about letting her natural enemy enter the safety of her room but reconsidered since he had the manners to knock first. "Sure."

"Thank you."

The bunny moved to the side and the fox casually entered the room and looked around. Judy's room had the standard single bed, drawers for clothes, a mirror, and a desk for school work. The vulpine noticed the papers and the number of books on the table and the pile of stuffed rabbits on the bed, amused at seeing the latter. "Nice place."

"Thank you." Judy closed the door and sat back down at the desk. She was more confused than nervous at the fox's visit. "Excuse me, but have I seen you before?" The doe finally asked but not with the question she wanted.

The fox turned his attention to her, still smiling. "My name's Nick Wilde and I'm in your Contracts class. I also live across from you."

Slightly assured at his friendliness, a smile grew on the doe's face. "Hi, I'm Judy Hopps. May I ask what are you doing here?"

Taking it as an invitation to continue, Nick approached Judy and brought forward the papers in his paws. "I came to let you borrow this. They're the notes you missed in Contracts after your spectacle with the professor."

Judy's expression went wide and her ears shot up when she remembered about needing to copy the missed Contract notes. "Oh thank you!" She reached for them when Nick pulled his arms just out of her reach.

"But there is a catch."

Judy sighed, cursing herself for expecting a freebie. She had heard of contracts made between students to aid each other. The doe didn't expect to happen on the first day, but given the events this morning, she should have known better. She already had a few students in mind to ask come next class meeting. "How much?"

Nick shook his head. "I don't want your money."

The bunny's nose twitched in confusion, tilting her head at Nick's unexpected decline. "Then what do you want?" With money out of the way, she knew favors were next.

"I want you to join a study group I'm forming."

That didn't sound like a typical favor to Judy. "Study group?"

"Yeah, first-year students get into groups and meet once a week to review the class material and case books. They make outlines for the courses and share them with the group. It's very helpful when studying for exams."

"And the school will let us do that?" The bunny was under the assumption that one must do all the work in specialized education.

"It's actually encouraged." Nick then placed his notes on the desk. "I'll give you time think about it. In the meantime, I'll be spending this week selecting the students for the group. I want fresh, eager minds. You can give me your answer when your return the notes."

Judy was surprised at the gesture and now even more confused. "Wait. Why did you want something from me if you were going to give the notes anyways?"

Nick shot a wink at her. "I wanted to be sure I had your attention when making the offer." He then chuckled. "You're actually the first one I asked, Carrots." 

The doe leaned back in the chair with her arms crossed and a smug look. "Oh, giving nicknames already? Are you sure you want someone who forgot the first day's assignment in your study group?" 

The tod leaned back against the wall, paws in the pockets and inwardly admitting that Judy got him there. "I'm good at reading mammals and I'm positive that you'll benefit the group. You were just caught with your pants down in Bogo's class. It happens to everyone who takes him from what I hear."

Judy smiled, feeling an overwhelming joy that Nick was able to overlook her mistake and give her a chance. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Nick's eyes fell to a small open container on the desk. "Ooh! Blueberries! Mind if I have some?"

"Go ahead!" She pushed the container closer.

"Thank you."

She watched him picked up a small pawful of blueberries and ate a few. The doe was still trying to wrap her head at how quickly the fox could make her from feeling uncomfortable to as if they've been friends forever, but she was grateful nonetheless.

After Nick polished off some blueberries, he pointed to the picture on her desk. "That your family?"

Judy glanced at the photo and then back at him. "Yep! We're farmers back in Bunnyburrow."

"I can tell from the clothing in the picture. Any of them lawyers?"

"A couple and a few more studying to be one. Among other career choices, my dad realized the benefits of having lawyers representing the family's interest." "I'm more surprised at how many relatives you have in the picture."

"I'm more surprised at how many relatives you have in the picture."

"Oh that's just a small fraction."

Nick raised an eyebrow at the statement. "Small fraction?"

"I have 365 siblings and many more relatives." She stated.

The fox nearly choked on a blueberry at the staggering numbers. "That's…how…why…You know what. I'm not even going to ask."

Judy giggled and shrugged her arms. "What can I say? We bunnies are good at multiplying."

"Clearly." He said before popping another blueberry in his mouth. The fox noticed the bunny had already begun her schoolwork. "Studying already? It's only the first day."

Judy sighed as she leaned forward and picked up a pencil. "I have Criminal Law first thing tomorrow morning, and I don't want to repeat my mistake from this morning."

"Lucky for you, I do too. We can sit together in class if you want."

Judy nodded as she organized her work. "I wouldn't mind that."

Nick then became serious. "You want some advice?"

She stopped and looked up at him, curious at what he has to say. "Huh?"

"Take Contracts with a different professor. It will be easier on you."

Judy raised her paw and confidently pointed a finger at Nick. "Bogo is the greatest professor of contract law in the world."

"Yeah," He conceded. "But you didn't make a good first impression. He may have doubts about your future in law."

The doe had a look of determination in her eyes. "We'll see. I'll show him that I have what it takes to get an A his class and be a lawyer."

Nick nodded, feeling more confident about the bunny. "Thanks again for the blueberries. Don't forget to return my notes and to give me your answer about the study group. I'll be honest. It would greatly benefit us both if you joined."

"I'll let you know. Thanks for stopping by."

Nick shot a two finger salute and Judy returned with a wave before he left and she returned to her studies. While copying the notes, the doe couldn't help but wonder why Nick would go out of his way to help her. The idea of a study group grew more appealing as she continued to think about it. It would take some pressure off but that would mean relying on another mammal to make a good outline. That would also depend if Nick picks the right mammals.

There was also the matter of how her parents raised her with the perception of foxes. They warned that natures of a fox and a lawyer were a dangerous combination, but Judy countered that they could also be beneficial. Her phone ringing interrupted the doe's thoughts. She picked it up to see the aforementioned bunnies on the caller ID screen. Judy took a deep breath and answered, knowing that ignoring the call would only worry her parents.

"Hi, Mom. Dad." She smiled upon seeing their faces.

"Hi, sweetheart!" Bonnie greeted.

"Hey there, Jude the Dude! How was your first day of law school?" Stu asked.

"Tiring," Judy said, the exhaustion evident in her voice. "I'm already working on class assignments."

"Oh my goodness! Already?" Bonnie exclaimed. "Your other brothers and sisters had lectures on their first days."

"It's only with this one professor so far, but I managed," Judy assured, trying not to sound overwhelmed despite how the morning went. "I'm making sure to be ready for the others even if they do end up giving lectures on the first day."

"That's good, bun bun," Bonnie said, her delight returning. "Anything else you want to tell us?"

"Yes, one of the students has asked me to join a study group." She figured to give her parents some good news to allay their fears of being alone in Zootopia.

"Oh that's wonderful, sweetheart! Already making friends the first day!"

"See any foxes yet?" Stu interjected.

Judy resisted rolling her eyes at the question. "Yes, Dad," She said with a slight irritation. "But that doesn't mean the ones here are shifty and untrustworthy. If they were, the university wouldn't let them in the first place."

Her rebuttal combined with Bonnie's glare had Stu slightly relax his overreactions. "Okay, but just be careful okay. It's all I ask."

"I promise." Judy glanced at the clock and noticed the time. "I got to back to studying, but I'll call you again tomorrow."

"Alright, bun bun. I love you." Bonnie said.

"Goodnight, Jude!" Stu said.

Her parents hung up and Judy let out a sigh of relief, setting her phone on the table. She hated lying to her parents, but the bunny didn't want to put up with her parents intense questioning if they found out her first friend at law school was a fox. _As if I needed another issue to worry about._ Realizing she was spending too much time on those thoughts, Judy decided to set them aside for now and resume studying, trusting Nick's judgment for selecting the study group members.

The next morning, she woke up much early than yesterday and fully prepared herself for the day. With her bag on and Nick's notes in her arm, the bunny stopped by his room to return the notes and give her answer. Standing in front of the door, Judy raised her free arm and knocked on the door a few times. She waited a few moments before calling his name. "Nick, are you up yet?" The doe continued to wait until finally hearing the door being opened and saw Nick's appearance.

Judy had to stifle a giggle. The fox was in a white t-shirt and boxer brief and his fur in a mess. "Morning."

"Morning," Nick said groggily. He was about to ask why she woke him up when he saw Judy holding his notes. It took a few moments for yesterday's conversation to surface. "So what's your answer?"

Judy handed him his notes. "I'll join."

Because of the lingering tiredness, Nick settled for a weak smile and took the papers. "I promise it will be worth it."

"I trust you." The bunny then motioned her head down the hall. "Now come on. We got an hour before Criminal Law starts and I want to get there early."

Her enthusiasm amused him to no end. "Alright, Hopps. I'll be quick. Meet me outside the building."

"See you then!" The doe turned to leave when she suddenly stopped and faced Nick again. "Wait, do you have a bike?"

"Of course I do."

"Great! See you soon!"

Nick watched an energetic Judy skip her way down the hall before disappearing from his sight. Once he was sure the bunny wouldn't hear him, the fox let out a chuckle and closed the door. Nick set the papers down on the cluttered table and gathered his towel and toiletries before heading to the showers. As the fox let the hot water run over him, it finally came to him that Judy said she trusted him, bringing a smile to his face and slowly brightening his morning.

_That bunny never ceases to amaze._


	3. The Study Group

_Stay open to all things. Unknown and New._

* * *

 

“Come on, Wilde! We’re going to be late!”

“Will you relax, Carrots?”

Nick ended up taking longer in getting ready and was met with an irate Judy outside, arms crossed and foot thumping on the sidewalk. The fox could only offer a meek smile as the bunny huffed and got on her bike, ordering Nick to do so and follow her. He complied and watched amusingly as Judy pedaled and veered to avoid pedestrians, focused on getting to class. The tod offered passing apologies to the annoyed pedestrians the doe may have almost hit.

The two barely arrived on time for Criminal Law. In the classroom, they sat next to each other near the aisle in the middle rows. With his books and papers set out on the table, Nick turned to see Judy glaring at him from almost being late on the second day. He was saved from her wrath with the arrival of the Criminal Law professor. Much to Judy’s relief and annoyance, the professor, a male camel did give a lecture to introduce the course on their first meeting.

With that and joining Nick’s study group, the bunny felt the day was off to a good start. In the back of her mind, Judy wondered who else Nick will invite to the study group and how many will there be. After Criminal Law, Nick told her he was going to meet her later at lunch, saying that he spotted potential students for the group. The bunny agreed and left for the university’s cafeteria to reserve a table for her, Nick, and whoever he invited.

Later, Nick and two other mammals entered the cafeteria. The fox paused for a moment to sniff out Judy. Once he picked up the doe’s scent, Nick motioned the mammals with him to follow. In the middle of the cafeteria, the three found Judy studying at the table and saw she had gotten herself a salad and a cup of water for lunch.

Nick shouted her name to get the bunny’s attention. “Hopps!”

Judy looked up to see him with a portly cheetah and an arctic shrew approaching her table. The cheetah lifted the arctic shrew onto the table before moving to Judy’s left.

“Hi!” The bunny greeted with a smile.

Nick pointed to the arctic shrew. “This is Fru Fru Big,” He then pointed to the cheetah. “And Benjamin Clawhauser. Two more for the study group,” The fox introduced Judy to the others. “This is Judy Hopps.”

“Oh aren’t you just the cutest thing!” Clawhauser exclaimed.

Judy slightly cringed at hearing the word cute. “Ooh, you probably don’t know but,” She motioned with her paws to her left. “A bunny can call another bunny cute.” She then motioned to her right. “But when other animals do it, it’s a little…” The bunny let the cheetah piece the puzzle together.

Clawhauser gasped in horror with his paws on his cheeks when he realized the implication. “I am so sorry.”

Judy chuckled. “It’s okay. Happens to everyone who first meets me. Just remember that.”

“I promise.” The cheetah affirmed.

Judy then turned her attention to Fru Fru and saw her apparel. “Hi, I love your outfit.”

The shrew took the compliment and did a curtsy. “Oh, thank you!”

“I’m loving this group already!” Clawhauser said. “Any of you want anything? I'm going to get some coffee and donuts.”

“No, thank you.” Fru Fru said.

“Another water please?” Judy asked, raising her empty cup.

“Just a coffee. Black.” Nick requested.

The cheetah nodded and departed for the lunch line.

Nick set his bag down and sat down in one of the chairs. “Actually, Fru Fru and Clawhauser weren’t the ones I needed to talk to after Criminal Law. They’ll be meeting us later for dinner tonight.”

“Oh, okay!” Judy turned her attention to Fru Fru, who was currently unpacking her lunch. “Are you friends with Nick?”

“Mhm!” The shrew answered. “My daddy and his daddy know each other. Nick’s daddy represents mine and in return, my Daddy pays for his school.”

“And in exchange,” Nick said. “Mr. Big asked that I invite her to the group and help her be successful. Of course, after everything he’s done to support my family, it was only natural.”

“And Clawhauser?” Judy asked.

“Met him when I went to grab coffee and he asked about my day,” Nick continued. “When I mentioned the study group, he practically begged me to join. I was going to ask him regardless. Don’t be fooled by his jovial nature. Underneath that is a cheetah who knows the material or he wouldn’t be in law school in the first place.”

“I can tell,” Judy said. “Where are meeting the others for dinner?”

“At my friend Finnick’s where I work, he’s the manager of a bar not too far from the campus. The four of us can go there after we finish school for the day.”

“You work?” Judy asked, confused at why Nick would need to with wealthy connections. “But Mr. Big is paying for your education.”

“Spending money.”

“Ah.” She said when hearing his reason, understanding the desire to avoid relying on Fru Fru’s father to providing everything for him.

Clawhauser returned with a tray of food and drinks for the table and passed out the cups. “One water for the bunny. One black coffee for the fox. And one coffee mixed with cream and sugar and a plate of donuts for myself.”

As the cheetah went to sit down, he looked up and his expression changed. “Uh oh, he just walked in. Bogo with one of the justices of the Supreme Court.”

Everyone else at the table turned their attention to the mammals’ entrance. While focused on them, Judy accidentally knocked her water off the table with her elbow. The cup crashed on the floor and the sound broke from her focus and she let out a startled squeak.

Clawhauser quickly assisted in cleaning up the mess. While the two were picking up the cup and drying the water, they heard loud footsteps approaching from behind. The table looked to see Bogo passing by. Judy noticed the apathetic look the Buffalo gave before returning her attention to her mess.

“Sorry, Clawhauser.” The bunny said.

“It’s okay, Hopps.” Clawhauser gave her another cup of water he had brought just in case and Judy thanked him for it.

Nick and Fru Fru had noticed Judy’s gloominess ever since Bogo entered the cafeteria.

“Do you want to tell us what’s wrong, Judy?” The shrew asked.

The doe took a big gulp of water before speaking. “Not here. I don’t want to make a fool of myself even more. I’ll tell you at dinner.”

The others understood and changed topics. Despite being the only prey in the group so far, Judy was growing to like the new members. With six courses outnumbering the four so far, she wondered who else would join. Regardless, the bunny trusted that Nick would make the right selection. In regards to how they would divide up the work, she already made up her mind on which course to outline and no one would change her mind about it.

* * *

 

Later that evening after all the classes ended for the day, the four exited the campus and were about to head in the direction of Finnick’s when a polar bear appeared and blocked their path. Judy and Clawhauser appeared intimidated, but Fru Fru and Nick showed no fear. The Arctic shrew spoke before Judy and Clawhauser could question the predator’s appearance.

“Troy!”

The polar bear leaned down with his paws out. Fru Fru moved forward and climbed on and Troy raised himself back up. The shrew faced the others, noticing the confused faces on Judy and Clawhauser.

“Troy’s my bodyguard! Now I know what you two are thinking and I can explain,” She directed her words at Judy and Clawhauser. “Don’t worry. You’re not in any danger. Daddy only wants to protect me whenever I leave campus and understood the inconvenience on the faculty here by having Troy around during the day. As long as you don’t hurt me, everything will be alright between us.” Given her wealthy background, it was no surprise to them that Fru Fru would have a bodyguard.

“Well then. Hello, Troy!” Judy finally greeted.

“Nice to meet you!” Clawhauser said.

Troy responded with only a nod.

“Shall we go?” Nick asked.

The four proceeded to Finnick’s diner with the additional mammal.

“The other two are on their way,” Nick said. “They’ll let us know of their arrival.”

“Can’t wait!” Judy said.

“Hopps?” Clawhauser suddenly asked. “Do you want to tell us what’s on your mind before we get to Finnick’s? No one else around here will pay attention.”

“Clawhauser!” Fru Fru chastised.

“No, he’s right.” Judy reasoned. “Better now than when we meet the other members,” The doe took a deep breath before continuing. “I sleep in and almost come late to Bogo’s class. I didn’t read the case book. I panicked when he walked into the room. Everything I do is just wrong, and it’s so unlike me,”

The others remained silent and were sympathetic, letting Judy release the stress that had been building up since the first day.

“And the thing is that Bogo’s reason why I came to school here. I could have stayed home and gone to law school in Bunnyburrow. But when I got interested in law, I started reading his books, articles, and following his career in the government. All his work made me want to be taught by him. To me, he’s the great guru of contract law.” The bunny sighed deeply before continuing. “Sorry about that.”

“Oh, it’s okay Ju-Ju.” Fru Fru said.

“She’s right, Hopps. We’re positive that you’ll get through this.” Clawhauser encouraged.

Their kind words brought a smile back on her face. “Thanks guys. I guess those feelings finally caught up.”

With the mood lightened again, they continued on until arrived at a brick building. A neon sign hung above the entrance that displayed the words Finnick’s Tavern. From the outside, it was a brick building with a couple of glass windows, allowing passing mammals to get a glimpse inside. Upon entering, the group was met with music and small chatter from the moderate level of customers.

Nick had explained on the way that the tavern would be like this early in the week before picking up Friday nights and the weekends. The tavern's main customers and employees were students from the university, resulting in the location being popular for university students and the occasional faculty. Tables and booths were scattered around along with the bar located near the kitchen. A couple of flat-screen televisions hung around for patrons and customers to watch the various sports going on.

The group met Finnick upon their entrance. One of Nick’s oldest friends, the fennec had begun working there many years ago as one of the waiters before working his way up to the general manager. He was wearing a black polo and blue shorts, the former being the standard uniform at the tavern.

“Hey, buddy!” Nick greeted.

“I thought you weren’t working today.”

“I’m not, but that doesn’t mean I can’t bring friends over. How’ve you been?”

“As you expect for the first week of school, mammals coming in to drown themselves in drinks and food as the realities of law school settle in. You’re here for that too?”

Nick laughed, “Funny, but no. We’re here for a study group meeting.”

Finnick looked at the group of mammals before him, showing no fear to the polar bear carrying Fru Fru. “Eh, I don’t care as long as you buy something. How many do you have?”

“Four…er, five of us and two more coming later and somewhere private if you can”

The fennec gave the group another look over. “Right this way.”

Finnick led the group to a corner of the tavern and let them known to tell him when the others arrived so he can take their orders. The polar bear bodyguard set Fru Fru down on the tables and assisted the others in moving the tables together.

The moment they all took their seats, Nick felt his phone buzzed with an incoming text message. "That might be them." He took out his phone and after reading the message, he looked up at the group with a smile. “They’re here. I’ll be right back.”

The others nodded as Nick left for the front entrance.

“This place isn’t that bad,” Judy said while looking around.

“Yeah, I wouldn’t mind having our study group meetings here,” Clawhauser said.

“As long as I have my polar bear, I don't mind coming here on a regular basis.” Fru Fru said.

Nick returned to their table with two mammals, an arctic vixen and a gray rabbit with black stripes on the face and ears.

“Everyone, this is Jack Savage and Skye Frost.” Nick introduced.

The mammals exchanged waves with each other and the three sat down at the table.

“Jack. Skye,” Nick continued and pointed to the mammals at the table. “This is Clawhauser, Fru Fru and her polar bear Troy, and…”

“Ah yes, I recognize you. Judy Hopps.” Jack said.

“That obvious?” The doe said.

“Hard to miss with that display in Contracts yesterday morning,” Skye said. “No offense.”

Judy dismissed the comment with a wave. “None taken. I’m starting to get used to it.”

“So what made you want to join the study group?” Clawhauser asked.

“I considered the advantages and disadvantages and decided to try it out,” Jack said. “Study groups must have some merit if they’ve been existence for this long.”

“As for me,” Skye said. “I’m not quite convinced about needing a study group and if the meetings aren’t helpful, I’ve warned Wilde about leaving.”

“I can promise you that it will be beneficial to all of us,” Nick assured.

“So is this everyone?” Fru Fru asked.

“Yep, six courses. Six mammals,” Nick said. “We can settle on the courses later. For now, let’s get better acquainted with one another.”

“How about we do that at my home tomorrow after Civil Procedure?” The shrew offered. “We can have lunch there as well. Is everyone alright with that?”

The others nodded with no hesitation.

“Great!”

At that moment, Finnick returned with a pencil and notepad out. “Everyone here?”

“Yep,” Nick said.

“Finally, what are you ordering?”

The food and service at Finnick’s tavern were excellent and the six mammals spoke a little of themselves as they dined; where they were from, why they wanted to be lawyers, and what area of law they planned to work in. Throughout dinner, Judy couldn’t help but feel a sense of awe for the surrounding mammals as she listened to their stories. A sentiment she shared with Nick as the two walked back to their rooms after the group went their separate ways for the night.

“I knew it would be hard, but I never realized how hard it really is. I mean I never felt such competition before. When you think about it, you’re up against some of the finest minds in the city. Just look at our study group. They’re all brilliant!”

“Why thank you for the kind words, Carrots!”

Judy rolled her eyes at Nick’s inflated ego. “Ugh, enjoy it now, Wilde. Anyways when I sit in those classrooms, I can’t help but think _He’ll probably end up the Supreme Court. She’ll probably be running Wolf Street. He might even be mayor. She might even be mayor!_ There’s such a sense of power. You get what I’m trying to say?”

Nick looked down to see the emotion in her eyes and offered her a smile in response. “Of course I do.”

Encouraged, the bunny continued speaking. “When you walk down the halls and pass the classrooms, you know that minds are being formed to run the world behind those doors!”

“Yep, I can see it right now. Look out criminals! Because Judy Hopps is bringing you down justice!”

Judy punched him in the shoulder for the remark. “Stop that!” She failed at trying to sound angry and instead let out a giggle.

“Keep that up and I’ll have grounds to sue you for assault.”

Judy stuck her tongue out at him before breaking out in a laughter and Nick following suit. The two turned the corner to their rooms and heard yelling down the hall. It grew louder as they got closer and determined the source to be coming from two separate rooms.

“You shut up!”

“You shut up!”

“No, you!”

“No, you!”

“You!”

“You!”

Judy grumbled at bickering, debating if the two mammals were worse than the Screamer. “I’m surprised the dorm adviser hasn’t done anything yet.”

“Those two probably told him the same thing they told all of us,” Nick said. “We’re loud. Don’t expect us to apologize for it.” He imitated. “Honestly, it’s fine with me if it keeps the Screamer quiet.”

“I don’t want to know what will happen if those two were in the same room.” Judy then realized the type of school they were attending. “Oh sweet cheese and crackers, imagine those two in the court room as opposing lawyers. The judge would break the mallet from trying to calm them down.”

“Nah, all the judge has to do is threaten them with contempt of court and they’ll keep quiet.”

“Hopefully.”

They finally arrived at their rooms, drowning out the shouting that continued.

“Welp, see you tomorrow in Contracts,” Nick said.

“Yeah,” The thought of Bogo’s class tomorrow sapped away the happy feelings moments before.

Nick took notice of her unhappy tone and appearance. “Bogo still on your mind?”

“It’s just,” The bunny sighed deeply. “I got to redeem myself somehow. I mean you never know. He might just change his mind about me. I’ll never know until I try.”

“Don’t think about it too much. There’s not much you can do.”

“But I can’t shake the feeling! Something has to be done!”

The tod paused for a moment before placing a paw on the door to his room. “Just please don’t push yourself too hard. I don’t want this becoming an obsession for you. Good night, Hopps.” Nick entered his room without expecting Judy to respond.

It didn’t matter as the bunny stood alone in the hallway, worried that she might have upset him about her ambition. Nick’s parting words continued on repeat in the doe’s mind, realizing there may be some truth to it. “Good night, Nick.” She finally muttered before sullenly entering her room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Forming the group is one thing. Making it work is another. But at least Judy gained more friends.


	4. First Group Meeting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> With school having started for many people, I figure putting out a new chapter for this would be appropriate.
> 
> Important: Updates will be even more sporadic for the time being since I live in the path of Hurricane Irma. That and my schoolwork for the Fall have increased dramatically. I hope you all don't mind the increase in wait times. 
> 
> But you can expect a chapter a month for any of the ongoing stories.

_And one day, we’ll all say._

* * *

  
The next day, the members of the study group sat in their assigned seating for Contract Law: Judy, Jack, and Fru Fru in the very front row designated for mammals in their size range, Nick and Skye one row behind, and Clawhauser more towards the middle rows near the aisle. All six mammals sat attentively with their writing utensils in their paws and open notebooks as Bogo explained his class procedures, much to Judy’s annoyance.

“The study of law is an area new and unfamiliar to most of you. Different than any of your previous studies.” Bogo stopped pacing and leaned against the right side of the wooden barrier.

“In this class, we will use the Sowcratic Method. How it works is that I call on you, ask you a question, and then you answer it. Through my questions, you learn to teach yourselves, and that is the reason why I rarely give lectures.” The Cape Buffalo resumed pacing.

“Through this method of questioning and answering, the goal is for you to develop the ability to analyze that vast complex of facts that establishes the relationship of members within any given society. Now there will come a time that you may think you have achieved a correct and final answer. But in my classroom, you will never reach the final, correct, and ultimate answer. In my classroom, there is always another question to follow your answer.” Bogo finally walked behind the barrier and stood behind the podium.

“Everywhere you go. Everything you do. My questions are like fingers probing your mind, performing brain surgery. You teach yourselves the law, and I train your minds. You come in here with a skull full of mush, and if you survive, you leave thinking like a lawyer.” Bogo put on his reading glasses as he looked at the seating chart. “Now will you recite the case of Stoatwart v. Ratner?”

Judy immediately shot up her paw, eager to answer the question.

Bogo removed his glasses and looked back up to see the excited doe. The two made eye contact but neither changed their expressions. “Miss…”

Judy nearly squealed in excitement and successfully restrained herself as her hopes skyrocketed.

“Bellwether?” Bogo suddenly looked in a different direction and called on the sheep.

The bunny’s hopes crashed hard into the ground as she slowly lowered her paw and glanced back to where Nick sat. The fox could only offer a subtle sympathetic shrug as the sheep recited the facts.

“In this case, Mrs. Stoatwart sued Dr. Ratner for a breach of contract. The doctor promised to deliver her baby by cesarean section, but the child died during the operation. Mrs. Stoatwart proclaimed that the child would have survived had Dr. Ratner performed the contract and delivered the baby. The jury agreed with the plaintiff and awarded five thousand dollars in damages.”

* * *

  
“He knew I was prepared. He knew!” Judy grumbled as she stormed the halls with Nick who tried to keep pace.

“I saw, Carrots. You had your paw raised in the air.”

“He looked directly at me. Saw that I was prepared and called on someone else!”

Nick sighed, knowing it was futile to argue with Judy in this mood. “Just remember what I said.”

The doe didn’t say a word as they continued walking. When Nick and Judy reached the stairs and were about to ascend, they caught Bogo descending towards them. The two stopped and watched the Cape Buffalo go by without sparing them a glance.

“He’s everywhere!” She whispered once Bogo was far enough away.

Nick could only chuckle before they resumed up the stairs.

* * *

  
After Civil Procedure ended, the study group headed to the front entrance of the campus where they spotted Troy and a black panther waiting for them beside a limo.

“Is that our ride, Fru Fru?” Judy asked.

“Yep! Normally I ride in something smaller but since I told Daddy about bringing guests over for lunch, he wanted to make sure you are treated comfortably.”

“Aw, that’s very nice of him,” Skye said.

The group arrived at the vehicle and Fru Fru stepped forward to be lifted up and protected by Troy.

“Everyone, this is Manchas. He’ll be a driver.” Fru Fru said, motioning to the black panther.

“A pleasure to meet you all.” He lifted his hat off as a gesture and the others greeted him back. “Shall we go?”

They all nodded and entered the vehicle before departing for Fru Fru’s home.

“I think this is a good time to lay out the plan for the study group,” Nick said. “First, we divide up the courses. Then each mammal chooses one and is responsible for its outline. And lastly, we’ll Xerox and exchange them at the end of the year.”

“I propose that nobody buys any outlines,” Jack said. “It won’t reflect the work that we do together.”

There were no objections to Jack’s comment.

“I want Property,” Clawhauser said.

“I’ve actually already started to outline Property,” Skye said.

“How about we wait until after lunch to decide?” Nick said, knowing now was not the right time. “We can discuss this better on a full stomach.”

“Oh, that reminds me!” Fru Fru interjected. “Before we have lunch, we're meeting my daddy. I told him about the study group and he wants to get to know you.”

The other mammals took no issue with the arrangement. They had expected to meet her father during their visit. The limo entered the road leading into Tundratown and the mammals split off into their own chats ranging on different topics for the remainder of the drive.

“So Nick, how did your dad and Mr. Big meet if you don’t mind me asking?” Judy said.

“Well you know how difficult is it for us foxes right?”

Judy nodded, having seen and heard of such treatment before.

“So the firm my dad had been working at split up and had to let go of clerks, him being one of the unfortunate ones. He applied at just about every other firm in Zootopia. The problem is they weren’t as accepting as his previous one. So he did the next best thing and advertised himself. While he saw modest success, the clients he could get were extremely satisfied with his work.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.” Her expression was forlorn from hearing the brief history but became hopeful at what he was going to say next. “Is that how Mr. Big found out about him?”

Nick nodded. “Mhm, Mr. Big was facing a particularly difficult lawsuit and gave my dad a chance. With the help of his help, Mr. Big won and was so impressed by my dad's work that he offered him to be the family’s legal representative. Naturally, he gladly accepted and the rest is history.”

“And that’s how you met Fru Fru.”

“Correct. If you do well, Mr. Big might help land you a job after passing the bar. He has connections.”

“Would he?” Judy felt Mr. Big would go that far to help law students.

Nick winked at her and assured the doe, “Trust me. He takes care of those he considers family.”

* * *

  
The limo finally arrived at the gates to the Big estate, and the polar bears standing guard there let the vehicle through. Parking at the front entrance, Troy and Manchas exited first and opened the passenger doors. The group got out and was met with the sight of the residence and two polar bears in tracksuits: one with blue lines and the other yellow.

“Raymond! Kevin!” Nick greeted. “How you’ve been?”

The two bears grunted in response.

“I take they’re our escorts?” Skye asked.

“Courtesy of Daddy,” Fru Fru said. “Unless you want to find your way around the place.”

“It’s actually not a bad place to get lost in,” Nick said.

Grunts from the polar bears and them motioning inside brought the group out of their conversation.

“Come on. Daddy is waiting for us.”

Raymond and Kevin ushered the group inside and led them to Mr. Big’s office. As they walked, Judy, Jack, Skye, and Clawhauser took in the appearance. Fru Fru’s family wealth was evident with the extravagant decorations and number of mammals working for the Bigs.

“This is quite a place you have Fru Fru,” Jack said.

“Oh yes, Daddy has many profitable business ventures over the years. As I mentioned before he likes to get to know his guests and make them comfortable which is why we’re meeting him.”

“I can only imagine what he’ll be serving us,” Clawhauser said.

“Only our chef’s finest!”

“Can’t wait!” Judy exclaimed. “Do you think he would be alright if we came here for our study group meetings?”

“I’m certain he would love it.”

The group finally arrived at Mr. Big’s office. Raymond opened the door and Kevin ushered everyone else inside before closing the door as Troy carried Fru Fru in. The five mammals were met with a polar bear larger than Fru Fru’s standing behind a desk and an older Arctic shrew sitting in a chair, dressed in black suit, black bow-tie and a red boutonnière with a cigar in his right paw.

“Hi, Daddy!”

Troy moved Fru Fru closer to the desk where she could leave his paws and greet her father. The two shrews exchanged kisses with each other.

“Hello, sweetheart. How was your day?”

“It was great!”

He spared a glance to the mammals standing before him. “Is this the study group Nicholas mentioned?”

Fru Fru nodded. “Mhm!”

The older shrew turned his attention to them and gave Judy, Ben, Jack, and Skye a look over. Judy, in particular, wondered what the shrew was thinking of them. If he had any faith of the group succeeding as a whole. She didn’t know why, but the doe felt that verdict was important. Mr. Big finally looked over to Nick.

“You have a unique group of mammals here Nicholas.”

The fox smiled at the compliment. “Thank you, Mr. Big,”

The shrew nodded and focused back on the others. “Allow me to impart some words of wisdom before you hold the first official meeting. As I said to my daughter and Nicholas, do not compare your work to others' or you will lose sight of what is important. That being said, one cannot succeed in law school alone so do not neglect any available assistance. Lastly, work hard, excel in your studies, and you will be rewarded. It has been a pleasure meeting you and I wish you all success in your journey.”

The five mammals bowed in gratitude at Big’s kind words and thanked him. Afterwards, Raymond and Kevin escorted the group to the dining room where a round table was set up for them with pitchers of drinks and glasses. The polar bears seated them down and the group thanked them before they were on their way. As her personal bodyguard, Troy remained close by and assisted in serving the drinks. With everything set, the six mammals waited for their food to be delivered.

“I like your dad, Fru Fru.” Judy said. “He’s very nice.”

“I’m glad he likes our group,” Clawhauser said. “I was worried there for a moment.”

“Oh don’t you worry about that,” Fru Fru assured. “He only cares if the study group is successful.”

“We’ll definitely be coming here during exam time,” Jack said.

“Yes!” Skye cried. “I do not want to deal with the insanity that plagues the campus!”

“Come on all!” Nick exclaimed. “That insanity is what makes law school fun. Where’s your sense of adventure?”

“In your dreams, Wilde!” Judy chided playfully.

The exchange elicited chuckles from the table, brightening the mood further. After the laughter died down, six mammals entered the dining room with covered plates in their paws. Each stood by a group member and placed down their meals.

“Lunch is served. Enjoy.” The head server declared.

They removed the cover to reveal the deluxe meals prepared for the study group. The law students thanked the servers before reaching for their utensils.

* * *

  
Nick wiped his mouth with a napkin and turned to the Arctic shrew. “Thank you for the wonderful lunch, Fru Fru.”

“Oh, thank you.” She smiled and nodded.

Nick shifted his focus to the rest of the table. “Now we should get down to business,”

“Can I please do Property?” Clawhauser pleaded.

“But I’ve already said I’m working on Property,” Skye repeated.

“Clawhauser,” Jack said. “Please try to think of this in maximum utility. You need to treat all your courses equal.”

“Yeah, but the thing is my dad is in real estate and he wants me to take Property. So that field is going to be my specialty.” The cheetah slowly tensed up with his tone becoming increasingly desperate with each word.

At that, Skye raised her paws and conceded. “Alright. Alright. If you feel that you’ll do a better job then go ahead. I’ll outline something else. I’ll give you my notes so far after we return to campus.”

Clawhauser relaxed. “Thank you.”

“Okay, so that leaves five courses left,” Nick said, taking back control of the conversation. “Savage, which one do you want?”

Jack set his cup down after taking a sip. “It doesn’t matter to me. I’ve already planned a studying schedule through the end of the year. Dividing my time equally among all the courses. I’ll outline anything.”

“Fair enough,” Nick turned in Skye’s direction. “What about you Frost?”

“I’m the same with Jack but I can settle for Constitutional Law.”

“Alright, you Fru Fru?”

“Criminal Law. It might take longer to get your copies for obvious reasons, but you’ll get them. I’ll give you all my contact information so you can send your outlines to me."

Nick nodded. “We’re okay with that. Hopps, which do you want?”

“Contracts.” The doe answered, grateful that no one else had taken it up to this point. After Clawhauser made his choice on the limo ride over, she had been worried about the others choosing that subject. While she would have been alright with the others, Judy had her mind set on Contracts.

“I think that’s a big mistake.” Jack objected.

The buck’s harsh words dispelled the doe’s joy and Judy looked at Jack, more curious than exasperated. “What do you mean?”

“What do I mean?”

“Yeah, what you mean a big mistake?” Judy failed to understand the issue with her choice and wanted to hear Jack’s reasons for objecting.

“We all saw what happened in class this morning. Don’t tell me that won’t affect your work.”

Nick quickly interjected with a proposal, trying to defuse the rising tension. “How about we draw straws for Contracts? It is the most difficult out of what we’re taking.”

But Judy refused to change her mind, thinking the buck’s reason was preposterous. “I want it! I want Contract Law!”

“I said it’s a big mistake!” Jack exclaimed.

“Calm down, Savage!” Nick said, raising his voice slightly.

“I won’t calm down!” The buck finally shouted. “This is a law school, not your average grade school. Everyone mammal in this study group has an obligation. We’re making a contract between us. You give me something and I give you something in return. We all must be working at one hundred percent. How can she do her best work when the professor won’t even call on her?” Jack sat back in his chair with his arms crossed, shaking his head. “I don’t trust her with the Contracts outline. That is the most important one we have.”

Judy raised her paw up to stop Jack. “Alright Savage. Alright!”

“No, it’s not alright!”

“Stop it you two!” Fru Fru interjected, not wanting them to cause trouble in her home.

“No, it’s okay. I don’t blame him,” Judy said. “I got to do something about it instead of waiting around and hope for a change. I’m going to talk to Bogo tomorrow after classes.”

“What?” Nick exclaimed.

“You heard me,” She looked at everyone at the table with determination, especially at Jack. “I’m going to talk to him and explain my reasoning for the first day’s mishap.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nobody said that study group would be without their issues. And Jack does have somewhat of a point, he just needed to convey it less aggressively.


	5. This is Law School

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I survived Irma! Thanks for those who wished me well. Now that school has calmed down from the recovery, here are some announcements for my main stories.
> 
> For October, I plan to get the next chapter to Assassin's Creed Zootopia out (Still need to import the chapters over from FF to here). For November, the next chapter to Spirit of War. Hopefully I can stick to that schedule, but I will get those two chapters out. It's been a while since their last updates.

_Hey look we’ve come through! Hey look we've come through!_

* * *

  
Judy stood in front of the large door that led to Bogo's office. She reached for the knob for small mammals before suddenly stopping. Once again, the confidence Judy had before arriving disappeared. In a moment of hesitation, the bunny stepped back from the door and started walking away. Just before she turned the corner, Judy halted and looked back at the door. Chastising herself for letting fear take control, she marched right back to the office.

With her confidence renewed, Judy reached for the doorknob and quietly entered the office. Instead of seeing the professor, the bunny saw a female antelope secretary wearing glasses doing work at a desk. It was when Judy closed the door that finally got the antelope’s attention. The secretary looked around for the mammal that just entered but didn’t see anyone.

“Excuse me? Down here.”

The antelope looked over her desk and saw Judy standing before her. “Yes?”

“Is Professor Bogo in? I’d like to see him if it’s possible.”

The antelope returned to the computer and began typing. “He isn’t holding office hours right now. Do you have an appointment?”

Judy shook her head. The bunny knew about his hours but felt that this matter needed to be taken care of as soon as possible. “No, I don’t have an appointment.”

The secretary turned to give Judy a serious look. “Professor Bogo doesn’t see anyone outside of office hours without an appointment.”

“Well, I…uh…” Judy’s nervousness rose as her confidence waned.

“Something I can help you with?” The antelope asked.

“No, I…I really need to talk to Professor Bogo. It’s urgent.”

The secretary sighed as she picked up the office phone. “He gets very annoyed when I disturb him. What’s your name?”

“Hopps.”

She dialed and waited a few seconds. “Excuse me, Professor Bogo. There’s a Miss Hopps here to see you. She doesn’t have an appointment, but she says it’s very urgent…I don’t know.” The secretary lowered the speaker. “Does he know you?”

“Sort of.” Judy slightly shrugged.

The antelope raised her eyebrow at the answer. “Sort of?”

“I’m in his first year Contract Law class.”

She raised the speaker back up. “She’s a student in Contract I…Yes, yes she said it was urgent…Yes, Hopps.” She lowered the speaker again. “How do you spell it?”

“H O P P S.”

The secretary repeated the letters to Bogo. “Yes…very good.” She then hung up the phone. “If you care to wait, he’ll fit you in between his schedule of appointments.”

Judy nodded eagerly. “Thank you so much. Um, do you know how long will that be?”

“Honestly that depends on his appointments.” The antelope said before resuming her work.

With the meeting schedule, Judy paced over to one of the chairs and sat down. While patience was not her virtue, the wait time actually allowed her to prepare her case before Bogo. The irony of which was not lost on her. She looked at the clock up on the wall and saw the time to be three o’clock. The bunny hoped she didn’t have to wait too long but this matter was too important to her.

Fortunately, the disagreement during lunch at the Big estate ended before Mr. Big himself could intervene, but it left a sour taste among the bunnies. As leader of the group, Nick gave Judy time to sort out the issue with Bogo but could only give her until the end of the week before Contracts would be drawn at random between the remaining mammals. The lunch meeting ended afterward and no one spoke on the ride back to campus because of the tension.

Judy’s gaze remained fixed on the clock as the seconds ticked on by. She was briefly distracted by the various mammals entering and exiting the room for appointments. The clock nearly struck five when a female pig exited Bogo’s office. Currently, Judy and a male water buffalo were waiting to meet with the Cape buffalo as the secretary continued to type.

“Thank you very much, Bogo,” The pig said before closing the door and turning to the antelope. “Goodbye, Mrs. Nyala.”

At that moment, the desk phone rang and Nyala answered. “Yes?...Mr. Bhens is here and Miss Hopps is still waiting.” Nyala looked over to the water buffalo. “Mr. Bhens, your appointment is at five?”

He nodded.

The antelope quickly checked the time. “It’s one minute to five…Very well.” She hung up the phone and turned her attention to Judy. “You may go in now, Miss Hopps.”

“Thank you!” Judy hopped off from her chair and made her way to the door. The bunny slowly entered the room and was greeted by the sight of the large space that is Bogo’s office.

The left side had shelves full of books. No doubt from the various courses he teaches. A long table occupied the space on her right which the bunny assumed was for meetings for students or faculty. Picture frames hung around the room that displayed Bogo’s academic and career achievements. Her eyes fell forward to the large desk where the Cape Buffalo sat with his reading glasses on and working with books and papers. Two large chairs sat before the desk that included steps for small mammals.

Judy closed the door and nervously moved forward to the professor.

The sound of the door opening and closing brought Bogo’s attention to the bunny. He set down his pen and removed his reading glasses. “What is so urgent, Miss Hopps, that you are unable to make an appointment beforehand?”

Judy took the cue and walked up to one of the chairs. She climbed up the steps and sat down facing the professor. “You must know why I’m here.”

“It has not crossed my mind.” He quickly replied.

Judy took a deep breath and began her explanation. “One of the reasons I came to this law school is to study with you.”

“Yes.”

His quick response derailed her train of thought for a moment before she continued. “There is no doubt that you have one of the greatest legal minds—”

“Will you get to the point?” His tone started to become slightly irritated.

“I know my skull is full of mush—” Her gaze started to wander.

“Will you get to the point?!” Bogo didn’t want to raise his voice but he didn’t appreciate the inconvenience Judy placed on him.

Judy brought her focus back to him and continued. “I think you’re being unfair.”

“Miss Hopps, will stop dancing around the issue?”

Regaining her confidence, the bunny finally got to the heart of the visit, mostly. “I have to have a true Sowcratic dialogue with you.”

Bogo stood from his seat, appearing to loom over Judy. “You’re off to a very poor start.” He then proceeded to the bookshelves.

“But how can I have a dialogue with you if you won’t call on me?”

Bogo stopped and turned to Judy with an eyebrow raised.

“My name’s Hopps. Hopps. Don’t you recognize me from your Contracts class?”

Bogo resumed his walk to the shelves and retrieved a book. “Miss Hopps, I teach hundreds of students every day. Thousands every year. Over a million since I began teaching here. You are not the first bunny to have taken my class. I cannot be expected to recognize everyone.”

“I sit in the front row in the center. You looked at me yesterday morning when I had my paw up before calling on someone else.”

He paused after opening the book and fixed his eyes at Judy. The recognition finally came to him. “Ah yes. Now I remember.”

An overwhelming joy flooded Judy from his response. She felt so hopeful that the doe went off without having realized her actions. “Yes! Please, I realize that I wasn’t prepared, but I thought you were going to lecture. Not starting on the first case. And I had trouble moving from Bunnyburrow to here so I didn’t have myself organized. And my new alarm clock didn’t go off,” Judy grew more emotional with each word until the bunny realized she was on the verge of tears and stopped before embarrassing herself further. “Please give me another chance, Professor Bogo! Don’t never call on me again!”

The Buffalo closed the book and lowered it to his side, “Miss Hopps, what was the first thing I said about my class on the first day?”

Judy thought for a moment until she remembered, “N-never to assume anything with you.”

“And yet, here you are assuming I would never call on you again because of your mistake.”

This was not the response Judy had expected from Bogo and it greatly confused her, “But why did you ignore my paw when I knew the answer to your question?”

“One is to keep students ready to answer my questions,”

Judy conceded that fair point.

“And two, it is to remind you that you are no longer in high school or in college. You are in a professional school. A law school where there is no room for error. It is my obligation to prepare my students to exist in the most competitive of all worlds where there is also no room for error. Good day, Miss Hopps.” Bogo returned to his desk with the book.

“But Professor Bogo,”

“Miss Hopps,” He set the book and looked her in the eyes. “Can you imagine a lawyer who goes into court unprepared and after losing the case, goes crawling to the judge’s chambers to beg for forgiveness. To ask the judge for another chance? Good day, Miss Hopps.”

His response didn’t help Judy’s emotional state as she tried to form a response. “I…”

“Good day!” His tone and stern look sent a clear message to Judy. Bogo put his reading glasses on and resumed his work.

Defeated, Judy removed herself from the chair and walked to the door. On the way out, she glanced back at Bogo who returned with a stare of annoyance from not hearing her leave. Judy promptly exited, accidentally stumbling over the next visitor’s briefcase on the way out. After apologizing profusely, the bunny picked up her backpack and sullenly left the office.

On the way back to her dorm, Judy seldom paid attention to her surrounding merely to avoid being trampled on by the larger mammals. Outside, the bunny rode her bike slowly while mumbling over the events of the week so far. The sun had set when she finally arrived at her dorm. After locking her bike, Judy strode up to her room while being mindful of other students in the halls. She made the final turn and increased her pace, eager to lock herself in the room. She arrived at the door and was about to insert the keys when the doe heard her name called.

“Hey, Carrots!”

Judy turned sideways to see Nick smiling and standing a few feet away.

“How was the meeting with Bogo? Did he say anything?”

Judy had the strong desire to tell Nick about the meeting. To pour out her emotions to him and hope to find some comfort. But the doe just couldn’t bring herself speak. Instead, Judy forced a smile and a response, “It went great! I’ll tell you all about it later!”

With cheetah-like speed, Judy entered the room and locked the door, leaving a confused and concerned Nick outside.

Judy tossed her bag next to the desk, emptied her pockets onto the nightstand, and fell face first on the bed without changing clothes. She let out a deep sigh as the day’s turmoil finally overcame her. The bunny pulled the blanket over her entirely, wanting to get away from the world. But her wish went ungranted when her phone rang.

Groaning, she crawled over and reached for her phone to see who was calling her. Much to her ire, it was her parents. Judy sat up and took a few deep breaths to compose herself before putting on a smile and answering the phone.

“Mom! Dad!”

“Hi, sweetheart!”

“Hey, Jude the Dude!”

The parents’ cheerful mood instantly went away from what they saw on the screen.

“Honey is everything alright?” Stu asked worryingly.

“Yeah! Why do you ask?” Judy tried to keep up her facade but it was evident to her it was failing

Bonnie listed off their concerns. “Cause your ears are drooping, you sound terrible, but more importantly your room is dark,”

The doe gave up trying to be cheerful and focused on the next tactic. “I…had a rough day today and I just got back to my room. It’s not easy studying for six courses and the group is still settling on the courses to outline.”

“I bet,” Stu said. “The law changes over the years and new precedents are being set. Things were much different when your mother and I were growing up.”

“But that just means you have more tools at your disposal and your work will help us and your clients in the long run,” Bonnie said.

Her parents’ surprisingly encouraging words brought a smile to the doe’s face. “Thank you, both. I really needed that.”

“You’ve put so much time and money into this honey,” Bonnie said. “Despite our reservations, we want to see you succeed because you’re our child and we love you.”

“That’s right Jude,” Stu said. “You’ve always been a tryer so we know you can do it. Anyways, get some rest now. We all know you need it.”

“I love you both. Good night,” Judy gave a small wave before hanging up.

When the call ended, Judy tossed the phone on the nightstand and collapsed on the bed. She pulled the blanket over her entire body again and curled up. She hated lying to her parents, but the bunny couldn’t let them see her emotional state and make the wrong assumption about her decision to attend law school in Zootopia. Knowing she has Bogo’s class the next morning erased what little comfort she got from the phone conversation. Judy finally fell asleep in the midst of her mental struggles and forgoing her nightly routine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At least Bogo isn't treating Judy like a token bunny. Only thing I can spoil is that things will get better for Judy. The questions are when and how.


	6. There are always losers...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And another semester in the books. This time I passed all my courses and didn't kill my writing muse. I'll be sure to get some writing done during the semester break.

_And one day, we'll all say._

* * *

 

Judy desperately rode her bike across campus after waking up late again. Her phone had blown up with calls and messages from Nick about going to class together, waiting for her, and having to leave to avoid being late. The bunny cursed herself for silencing her phone after the call with her parents.

On the way, Judy saw and heard students passing by and for some reason, they were pointing and laughing at her. The doe tried to ignore them, but the mocking continued. Her panic increased as she slowly lost focus. It reached the point where Judy frequently glanced around, only to see the students continuing to mock her. This caused the bunny to become completely distracted.

Judy looked ahead and caught the horrifying sight of Bogo standing her path. The doe pressed hard on the bike brakes, but for some mysterious reason, they failed. When she looked up, Judy screamed at the oncoming collision with her professor. The last thing the bunny saw before bracing for impact was Bogo's sinister smile and him reaching his arms out towards her.

Judy's vision went dark, but she didn't feel herself slam into Bogo or be grabbed by him. After a few moments of hesitation, she opened her eyes and suddenly found herself all alone in a cemetery. The hue was tinted a grayish-orange that only increased the eeriness of the atmosphere.

"Hello? Is anybody here?"

The only response she got was the wind blowing. Judy recovered from the initial confusion and shifted focus to getting back to campus. She began walking forward, hoping to find the fence and then follow it to the exit from there. Trees and headstones seemed to go on for eternity, and Judy felt lost in every direction. She hoped to find someone so they can search together and have companionship.

Finally, the bunny saw the exit and wasted no time running towards it. The sight of a campus building growing bigger brought her much relief. Near the exit, Judy saw three mammals in black robes; two small and one large. Her joy increased when she recognized them as Clawhauser, Skye, and much to her reluctance, Jack. She slowed down and stopped to catch a breath.

"Guys! I'm so happy to see…you?"

Judy immediately noticed something startling about them. Aside from recognizing them wearing judge's robes, the areas around their eyes were darkened, giving off a ghoulish look, and while not as obvious on Jack and Skye, the fur on Clawhauser's face was a mixture of gray and his normal color.

"Why are you dressed that way and what happened to your faces?"

They remained silent until malevolent grins appeared on their faces, causing Judy to be alarmed.

"Why are you looking at me like that?!" Her panic increasing by the second.

Judy took a step back and saw them move forward towards her. On instinct, the bunny turned to run when a very large paw suddenly seized her. Judy saw that it was a polar bear paw and looked up to see Fru Fru and her bodyguard Troy, who also appeared ghoulish and in judge's robes. Clawhauser, Jack, and Skye then joined them.

"What is the matter with all of you?! Let me go!"

They said nothing as Troy pawed Fru Fru over to Clawhauser and Jack and Skye walked deeper into the cemetery. Fru Fru and the two larger mammals followed as Judy squirmed in Troy's grasp. Her fear returned when the exit grew smaller until it disappeared.

"Where are you taking me?!"

Judy focused less on where her friends were taking her and more on escaping. She suddenly felt the bear stop and looked ahead to see Bogo wearing a black robe like the rest and also a judge's wig. The appearance would have been comical had it not been for him standing behind a coffin. A bunny-sized coffin. Judy realized what was happening and intensified her fighting.

Her friends smiled sinisterly as Bogo opened the coffin and beckoned them forward. Judy saw them obey and made one last ditch effort, but her struggling, kicking, or even biting the bear's paw failed. At the coffin, she was released only to be seized again by the arms and legs by Jack and Skye. The bunny didn't have time to react as they forcibly lowered her into the coffin.

When Judy recovered, she caught sight of Nick approaching, his appearance just like the others. But what stuck out the most was that his friendly smile from when they first met was now terrifying. Judy saw Nick carrying something in his paws and then throwing it at her. She shielded herself with her arms and felt objects hit her. She opened her eyes to see that they were only blueberries.

The bunny quickly saw the light getting dim and looked up to see the coffin lid being lowered down on her. The last thing she saw was the malevolent grins on her friends' faces before being engulfed in darkness and hearing the sound of the coffin closing. She pounded her fists against the lid and screamed at the top of her lungs.

"Let me out!" She began kicking with both her feet. "Let me out!" Soon tears started falling from her eyes. "LET ME OUT!"

Judy suddenly heard a faint voice amidst her cry, "Carrots? Carrots?!"

"Nick?!" She stopped moving but still heard the sounds of knocking.

"Carrots, are you alright?!"

* * *

 

Judy gasped for air and found herself back in her room. The sound Nick's voice and the pounding continued and were much louder.

"Carrots? Carrots, are you okay?!"

It finally came to her that Nick was knocking on the door and calling her by his nickname. Judy shot out of bed with the blanket wrapped around her and skipped to the door.

"Carrots? Hopps?! Judy!"

Judy opened to see Nick in a white t-shirt and boxers, and a worried expression on his face.

"Are you alright?!" Nick asked worryingly.

Judy noticed her frantic breathing and slowed it down to a normal pace, "Y-yeah, I just had a nightmare. That's all."

Nick relaxed, relieved that there was nothing serious, but it didn't erase his concerns. "What's wrong, Carrots? First, you act strange coming back from Bogo's office and now you have a nightmare."

She remained silent and reluctant to speak. The doe had hoped to form an explanation before morning, but the incident derailed her plans. She was glad that the rest of the study group did not appear to hear her cries. Still, she tried to drop the subject. "I'm okay, Nick. Really."

"Judy,"

She flinched at his tone but before either could speak, a growl interrupted their conversation.

Nick saw Judy clutch her stomach in response and instantly knew the reason. "Did you eat anything before going to sleep?"

She meekly shook her head.

Nick sighed heavily, "Alright, come on. We're getting you some food. You can't go back to sleep on an empty stomach. I see that you slept in your clothes so no need to get changed."

Judy slowly took a step back into her room, "It's fine, Nick. I'll just eat some carrots and blueberries."

The tod crossed his arms, "Those aren't exactly filling, and I know what you're trying to do."

Caught, Judy stopped trying and looked down in embarrassment. She did a quick glance back into her room to check the time, "What place would even be open at one in the morning? Finnick's?"

Nick shook his head, "Nah, we're not heading there. Especially with Bogo in a couple hours. Besides Finnick closes at midnight."

"And even if we get food, you won't' drop the subject. Aren't you?"

"I just don't want this affecting your schoolwork and the study group. You can't afford to have personal problems in law school."

Judy pondered Nick's words as he patiently waited. Another growl from her stomach hastened her decision. "Fine, let's go."

"Good. Grab your things and wait for me outside my room while I get dressed. It should only take a few moments."

Nick and returned to their rooms to get ready. Shortly after, Judy stood outside Nick's room with her personal items and in a light purple shirt and a darker shade pants, deciding to wear more comfortable clothes. She heard the door open and saw Nick emerge in a green floral shirt and tan pants. What stood out was him wearing the same tie from when they first met.

She pointed at the clothing, "What's with the tie? We're not going to class."

Nick quickly adjusted after noticing it slightly crooked, "It helps keep the professional look. Let's get going."

Judy rolled her eyes at his remark and they went outside to their bikes. The doe was about to unlock hers when Nick stopped her.

"Hold it there, Carrots. You don't have the energy to pedal. Let me give you a ride."

After her mentally and physically exhausting day, Judy had no desire to argue and agreed. Nick unlocked the chain and got onto the bike. He shuffled to the back of the seat and patted the space in front of him. Judy stepped forward and was helped on. A sudden feeling of fluffiness overcame and surprised her. She recovered to see that it was Nick's tail. The doe looked up to see him smiling, realizing he was making her comfortable for the ride.

"T-thank you," She said, hugging his tail close.

"You're welcome,"

Nick began pedaling as Judy carefully held onto the appendage and the bike seat. The bunny had to admit that being wrapped by his tail made her feel comfortable and safe. Twenty minutes later, the two arrived at an eatery called Pit's Pita. The place was unfamiliar to Judy. What surprised her was that it closed at 3 AM. Then again, it did open at 10 AM to compensate. Judy felt naked when Nick removed his tail from her to park and secure the bike but kept those thoughts to herself.

When they entered, an aroma of ingredients hit her. She saw Nick greet the male wolf and female deer employees currently working and heard them spoke as friends. He mentioned to them that it was Judy's first time here, and they were more than happy to provide a crash course. After understanding how the place operates, the two placed their orders: Judy a garden pita and Nick a prime cricket pita.

Nick paid for both meals despite Judy objecting to the gesture. Minutes later, the two were seated at a table with their pitas and drinks. When Judy bit into hers, her tastes buds exploded at the flavors from the veggies and sauces. As a result of her hunger, she ravaged the pita and got her face messy. Nick chuckled at the display but ceased when Judy shot him a glare. With her belly satisfied, the bunny relaxed back into her seat just as Nick finished eating.

"Good huh?" Nick asked, wiping his mouth with a napkin.

Judy smiled and nodded. "Thanks Nick. I needed that."

"You're welcome," He sipped his drink before getting comfortable in his seat. "Alright, Carrots. Tell me what's been bothering you."

His question caused her worries to resurface. Judy delayed a moment to drink before finally speaking. "It was about my meeting with Bogo,"

Nick had suspected it was related to that but wanted to know the details, "How bad?"

Judy twiddled with her fingers nervously, "Well, Bogo never said he would stop calling on me. He just gave me a rather harsh reminder that I'm in law school."

"And his words got to you?"

Judy remained silent and shrank back in her seat. That was all Nick needed to see.

"Don't let it get to you, Judy."

The bunny looked up at him in exasperation. "How? You saw what happened to me."

Nick put a paw up and quickly interjected before Judy could continue, "I'm not saying it's easy. I'm saying to not let it affect your dreams of being a lawyer. You've certainly heard mammals comment about your species and you wouldn't have made it this far if you listened to them. Don't start now because your model is now one of those mammals."

The conversation became silent as the tod's words hung in the air. Nick was hoping that he got through to her.

Finally, Judy let out a deep sigh, "You're right. I worked hard through college to get here and ignored those who thought otherwise. I won't let my mistake determine my future," She looked up and smiled. "Thank you Nick,"

He felt relieved from the positive response, "You're welcome."

Judy suddenly became nervous and resumed twiddling her fingers. "Um, just so you know. I still want to outline Contracts. I don't care what Jack thinks. He could leave the group if he doesn't change his mind, but since you organized it, do you trust me to do a good job?"

Nick folded his paws together and leaned forward on the table, staring at Judy with a serious expression. His display made Judy anxious and her nose started to twitch in anticipation.

"Well?"

Nick slowly broke out into a grin and let out a small chuckle, "You're so cute when you're nervous you know that."

The bunny's nervousness instantly evaporated, and she shot a murderous glare at the smug fox. "Nick…"

"I know. I know. I just wanted to have a little fun. Lighten the mood, but yes I do trust you with the Contracts outline."

Nick didn't see Judy move from her seat and land right in his lap to give him a crushing hug.

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"

After the initial shock wore off, Nick returned the hug and the two remained that way for a few moments before a gruff voice disrupted the moment.

"Can you two lovebirds wrap it up? We got to close up shop in 30 minutes."

Nick and Judy broke from the hug and turned to see the wolf and a deer employees grinning mischievously at them.

Nick and Judy realized their current position and quickly separated from each other, both blushing from being called out.

"Uh yeah, sorry about that," Nick said. "We'll be out in a few."

"And we're not dating!" Judy exclaimed, still blushing profusely, "We're just friends and got caught up in the moment!"

"It sure looked otherwise from here," The deer said before she and the wolf chuckled and returned to close the place.

Nick and Judy silently looked at each and chuckled nervously. The fox motioned to the door and the bunny nodded. The two cleaned their mess, got one more refill, and bid goodbye to the employees before returning to the dorms. They arrived in the halls leading to their rooms just after 3 AM.

"See you tomorrow?" Judy asked.

"Yep, we'll tell everyone else after class about your decision."

"I hope the others will be supportive."

"Ben and Fru Fru definitely. We already know Jack's opinion, but I think Skye can be persuaded. Either way, the majority vote is there and it will be enough to convince Jack to stay if he thinks of leaving."

"I hope so. Well good night and thank you again."

"My pleasure, Judy. Good night," Nick shot a two-finger salute and entered his bedroom.

Judy did the same and remembered to change into her pajamas before going to bed. As she lied in bed, her mind kept going back to what the wolf said after seeing her and Nick hug. Judy didn't know why it bothered her. She was just happy about Nick letting her outline Contracts and wanted to thank him, and hugging was her main method for expressing gratitude. She glanced at the clock and realized Bogo's class was in a couple of hours. Judy made herself comfortable in bed and tried to go to sleep. Unbeknownst to her, a few rooms down, Nick was having the same internal struggles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sadly, 1L's can't afford distractions so things will be slow for now.


	7. And there are always winners

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Despite my best efforts to write during the semester break, my muse went on vacation and decided which ongoing story I should work on. No matter how much I begged and gave the cute eyes. Luckily chapters for this story tend to be short and also, I made progress on the next chapter of Spirit of War, which I intend to focus on for February's post.
> 
> Anyways, here's a new chapter as a good luck for this semester to anyone in school.

_Hey look we've come through! The first years_

* * *

 

Friday, the final day for the study group to finalize their decisions on outlining which course. To everyone else, Judy, Nick, and Jack have not decided yet and Civil Procedure, Contracts, and Torts were still available. But Nick and Judy already settled on the bunny taking Contracts. They decided to announce Judy's decision after Contracts and were prepared for any objections. When the rest of the study group arrived, they asked Judy about her meeting.

"Hey Judy!" Clawhauser said. "How did it go with Bogo?"

Judy smiled at her friends. "It went well. I'll explain after class."

Her positive behavior made them curious given Bogo's demand for high standard. Meanwhile, Nick kept quiet about him knowing the outcome and played along. He and Judy decided it was best for the others not to know about her nightmare.

"Alright then," Nick said.

They went to their seats just as Bogo entered. The room became silent as the students prepared for today's lesson. Especially Judy with her focus and confidence renewed. Bogo set his books down and opened up the class roster.

"Will you recite the facts of Claw v. Margaysigilia?" He put on his glasses and read a name, "Mr. Wolford,"

The timberwolf stood up and began reciting, "Claw v. Margaysiglia is a case brought before the Zoo York Supreme Court in 1845. Margaysiglia sued Claw for materials used and work performed on sundry paintings that belonged to the defendant. The plaintiff proved that the defendant was to clean, repair, and deliver the paintings at certain prices each."

"Very good, Mr. Wolford," Bogo looked at the class roster again, "Will you please continue with the facts, Miss Fangmeyer?"

The tigress promptly stood up, "The defendant delivered the paintings on two occasions. There was no defense offered for the first parcel that was charged for 75 dollars. For the other parcel that was charged for 165 dollars, the defendant provided evidence that after the plaintiff began the work, he had no desire for him to continue and asked for the remaining paintings not to be completed,"

As the predators recited the case, Judy wrote down the title and a brief summary, making sure to outline the facts and noted points for further research. So focused on outlining, the bunny was startled when Bogo shouted her name.

"Miss Hopps!"

Judy fumbled with her pen and looked up to see Bogo staring irritably at her. "Yes…Professor?"

His expression remained unchanged. "Did you hear my question?"

It felt like the first day all over again except Judy had read the material. But she still felt slightly unprepared for not paying attention and mentally cursed herself for another mistake. Resigning to her fate, the doe shook her head and braced for the worst.

"Then I'll repeat myself. How did the plaintiff respond to the defendant's actions?"

Hearing the question, Judy wasted no time answering. "Despite the cancellation, the plaintiff completed the second set and claimed recovery for the entire work, insisting that the defendant had no right to countermand the original order. The defendant's counsel argued that he did have that right and that the plaintiff could not claim recovery after the countermand." Judy realized she had been talking fast when she finished. Her embarrassment would have shown were it not for Bogo's eyes on her. Judy waited anxiously for his response and knew the facts were correct.

"Very good," Came Bogo's reply.

Judy released a huge sigh of relief and sat back down. Despite preparing for class, she did not expect to participate in the discussion. So it was surprising when Bogo called her name after how their meeting went. Regardless of his reasons, Judy was feeling hopeful for the fresh start and resumed outlining.

* * *

 

After class ended, the group got together and Judy explained the events of Bogo's meeting as they walked down the hall. Telling them his exact words.

"So that's what happened," The doe concluded. "When Bogo decides to call on me is up to him. It's my job to be prepared for it like today. I'm just glad I knew the material."

"That's great to hear, Juju!" Fru Fru cheered. "I was worried that it could have been worse."

"Yeah," Clawhauser said. "I think Bogo could get in trouble with the school for punishing you over something trivial if he kept it up."

"Only if my grades started to suffer," Judy clarified. "But thanks guys. I appreciate it."

"Alright," Nick said. "Now that Hopps has had a chance to fix this issue, we can finalize on who outlines the remaining courses."

"I still want Contracts," Judy said.

Jack sighed heavily, "I still don't know if that's a good idea, Judy. Even with Bogo clarifying his words."

"Come on, Jack! You still can't get over that?" Clawhauser complained. "She won't be the only one to mess up in Bogo's. Anyone of us can have a bad day and forget our assignments. Even you."

"Benji's right!" Fru Fru concurred. "Bogo's class is already tough as is and if he doesn't call on Juju too often, that's to our advantage. She can focus on outlining."

"You know, Jack," Skye said. "You can always leave and find another group. None of us are stopping you. Frankly Judy's enthusiasm shouldn't be ignored. "

"And here I thought you would be more encouraging," Nick added. "You of all mammals should know how difficult it can be for rabbits to be more than carrots farmers."

After everyone else had a chance to speak, all eyes were on Jack as they waited for his answer. Judy hoped he would stay despite their disagreement, but she didn't get too optimistic. The doe was still happy that the buck was less aggressive in objecting this time.

Jack remained silent for a couple of moments before visibly sagging, finally realizing that his decision would only hurt him in the long run, especially in Bogo's, "Alright. Alright," He raised his paw and conceded. "I'll give her a chance, and I'm sorry for being impulsive back in Fru Fru's home."

Hearing his vote of confidence made Judy smile, "It's all I ask and I forgive you."

They arrived at an elevator arrived and after Nick pushed the button, he turned his attention to Jack.

"So, that leaves two courses left between us. Which do you want?"

"I'll let you go first. Like I said before, I'll outline anything."

Nick nodded once, "Okay. Torts."

"That leaves Civil Procedure for me."

"So we all good now?" Clawhauser asked.

"Yep," Nick said. "We'll schedule another meeting next week for a progress report."

"Good because I've already made good progress on Property. 10 pages so far." The cheetah gave Fru Fru over to Judy. He then brought out a stack of papers from his briefcase titled Clawhauser on Property and flipped through for them to see.

Skye crossed her arm, raised an eyebrow, and gave off a smirk, "And just how much of that was because of my work?"

Clawhauser said nothing timidly as he put the papers away. The arctic vixen chuckled and shook her head, reaching over to pat him.

"Come on!" Nick exclaimed. "Let's celebrate our future law school endeavors at Finnick's! Enjoy our brief freedom before its grim reality comes crashing down on us. Besides, I have to work tonight and would rather have some friends around."

The others got a laugh out of his humor and agreed. The elevator finally arrived and they entered. The doors were about to close when they suddenly opened again and the group saw Bogo standing before them. They became silent and moved back to give him space. Clawhauser in the middle with the girls on one side and Nick and Jack on the other.

"Thank you," Bogo said and entered.

The group nodded and remained silent. Just before the doors closed again, a male voice called out to the Cape Buffalo.

"Hold the door, Professor."

Said mammal quickly pressed the button to keep the doors open and a grizzly bear joined them.

"Thank you." The bear said as he pressed the button for his destination.

The doors finally closed and the elevator began moving. The study group remained silent and glanced between the faculty and themselves.

The grizzly bear turned to Bogo and smiled. "So did the first week go alright, Professor?"

The Cape Buffalo casually turned to the predator, "The usual sloppy minds. But that shall be taken care of in the coming weeks."

The grizzly nodded, satisfied with his answer.

When the elevator stopped, the doors opened and the two faculty members exited, leaving the study group behind. The six mammals looked at each other in curiosity and confusion before the elevator doors closed again.

* * *

 

The study group dispersed to their rooms, Fru Fru to her home, to get ready for Finnick's. Judy was about to enter her room when Nick asked her a question.

"Judy, do you mind coming with me to my room?"

Judy snapped her head at Nick and feigned being shocked, "Whoa there slick. At least ask me out first."

"Very funny, Carrots. But no, it's something else and not related to law school."

The bunny relaxed, "Alright,"

Judy followed Nick back to his room and they entered. When the bunny saw the fox's room, she was surprised that it was mostly clean except for the casual shirts and pants lying around on the chair and bed.

"Huh, and here I was expecting it to be more cluttered."

"You wound me, Carrots," Nick said while grabbing a black polo shirt and a pair of tan pants from his closet. "A lawyer must always be organized, and it starts during the first year."

Judy rolled her eyes, "Har har," She padded over to Nick's bed and laid on her back with her arms and legs spread out. She stared at the ceiling and allowed Nick the privacy to change.

"So I was thinking," Nick said while putting on the pants. "How would like a job working at Finnick's?"

Judy shot up in surprise and was grateful that Nick put his pants on before asking. The question caught her off guard since she was already paying for school with scholarships and loans. The bunny was also lucky to lighten her load from joining a study group but the thought of spending less time studying didn't sit right. "Nick, I'd love to but with so much work this semester I'm not sure if I can even hold down a part-time job."

"You'll be only working twenty hours a week max. Zootopia Bar Association restriction." Nick slipped on the polo.

"Huh, didn't know that."

"Yep," After getting dressed, Nick went to his desk and retrieved a paper and pen. He joined Judy on the bed and revealed the paper. It was a job application for Finnick's Tavern, "Finnick is looking for small mammals, and it would be nice to have a friend waiting tables with me."

Judy took the paper, "And he'll give me flexible hours?"

Nick pointed a finger at himself, "You're looking at it."

Judy spent a few moments looked at the application again, "A little extra money wouldn't hurt in case of emergency." She took the pen and filled in the application. "There."

"Great, do you have a black polo? Finnick may want you to start working right away. It is Friday night."

Judy jumped off the bed, "Let me check. You get yourself ready and wait outside my door."

Nick shot her a two finger salute and Judy returned to her room. Afterwards, Nick gathered his personal belongings in a bag and waited for Judy. His ears picked up the sound of her door opening and he turned to see her in a black polo and blue jeans. The latter complimented the former.

"Did I ever tell you that black looks good on you?" Nick said.

"Aw how sweet," She said happily before turning the tables on him. "But this is still law school."

Nick shrugged his arms, "Doesn't mean I can dish out compliments. Ready to go?"

"Yep, let's meet up with the others."

Nick and Judy headed outside and notified their friends who messaged back saying they were ready. They all met up at the campus exit and walked over to Finnick's Tavern together.

Inside the restaurant, Nick went to clock in while everyone else took their seats. He returned a few minutes later with a pen and notepad.

"Alright fellas, what can I get you?"

"You're our waiter tonight, Nick?" Clawhauser asked.

"Yep, just don't expect any extra discounts."

"Real funny Wilde." Jack teased.

Nick took down the orders and drinks and confirmed them. Everyone else but quickly noticed that Judy hadn't placed an order.

"You're not eating Judy?" Skye asked.

"I am. Just not right now."

"How come?" Fru Fru asked.

Judy got up from her chair and stood beside Nick. "Cause I might be working tonight."

Ben quickly put two and two together when he saw Judy standing next to Nick. He brought his paws to his cheeks and squealed. "AWW!"

"That's great Juju! If you get it, then congratulations!"

"After seeing your resilience, I'm having more faith that you can do this and school at the same time," Jack said.

"Good luck, Judy," Skye said. "I hope you get the job."

Troy the polar bear grunted his support.

"Thank you everyone."

Nick led Judy to the bar and entered the kitchen to drop off the orders. He then returned to Judy just when Finnick appeared with a tray of drinks. The fennec spotted Nick and set the tray down in front of him.

"There you are!" Finnick finally noticed Judy with Nick. "What's Bunny Girl doing here?"

Judy showed the application. "I'm here for a job. Nick told me you were looking for small mammals."

Finnick took the paper and looked it over. Moments later, he looked at Judy with a serious expression. "I ought to deduct Wilde's pay for not telling me earlier. If I say yes, can you start now? Normally the interview comes first, but we're short-staffed right now."

"Yes." Judy quickly answered.

"Then you're hired for tonight. If you do well by the end of the shift, then it'll increase your chances of keeping this job during the interview."

"Thank you Finnick!" Judy exclaimed.

"I owe you buddy," Nick said.

"Don't blow it. Now get to work. We got a lot of mammals coming in tonight. Nick will help you out, Bunny girl."

"Right boss!" Judy said, not caring at the moment that Finnick didn't use her name.

Finnick pushed the tray of drinks forward again for emphasis and left to check on the other employees.

"You are going to do your share of the work right?" Judy asked as she picked up the tray.

"Well…"

"Nick!"

Nick laughed, "I'm kidding Fluff. Ow!" The tod yipped after Judy punched him in the shoulder while carefully balancing the tray on one paw.

"Jerk!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Judy survived the first week! Now she needs to survive the rest of the year and beyond...
> 
> It may feel rushed for the outline situation, but I figured that unless Judy is doing a terrible job (unlikely) then they quickly settle it because of how big the coursework are and so little time they have.
> 
> Important: since every law school is different, I'll be sticking to the general aspects with few exceptions. Also, any cases discussed in the story will come from and be modified from either the hypotheticals from the tv series or real life.
> 
> That's all for now!


	8. Growing Pressure

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just want to reiterate that my other ongoing stories are not abandoned. The muse is not cooperating and school is currently kicking me relentlessly.

_Fall Semester, September_

Early that morning, Judy, dressed and ready for the day, was sitting at her desk and writing a letter to her family back in Bunnyburrow, having plenty of time before meeting up the study group for breakfast. She would have called her parents, but the morning schedule made it difficult for all three to hold a conversation with Bonnie and Stu needing to prepare for the day and the chaos that would result in so many siblings wanting to talk to Judy.

_Dear Mom and Dad,_

_Hi, how are you? Sorry that I haven’t been calling or writing much lately. It’s only been three weeks since school started, but it feels like three years have passed. I’ve done nothing but work and study, and I feel like there isn’t time for anything else. The study group is practically the only time I get to hang out with other mammals. Right now, it’s six in the morning and I’ve been dressed and studying for almost an hour._

AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!

Judy stared unfazed at the ceiling as the Screamer screamed. She shook her head and returned to the letter, but the bunny wondered how her parents would react to the Screamer. She wouldn’t be surprised if they thought that a mammal had gone savage. Judy considered herself lucky that the screams didn't happen during their phone calls.

_Speaking of the study group, it has been going well so far and we’ve all become great friends. The others are intelligent and very competitive, but the pressure of law school is starting to have an effect on all of us. I’m worried that it will all come to blow soon. Even for me, since I’m reading so much, I often I walk to class without knowing where I’m going._

Judy looked at her phone and saw that it was almost time to meet with her friends. She folded the unfinished letter and placed it within the pages of a book next to her, intending to finish later. The bunny gathered her backpack and took the open book with her, reading it while walking to breakfast.

* * *

  
In the cafeteria, Judy carried her tray with the book underneath it as she searched for her friends. Nick was kind enough to send a picture of their table so the doe wouldn’t spend too much time searching. Following the directions and objects in the picture, Judy finally found the study group and overheard a funny exchange between Nick and Ben.

“How are your eggs?” Nick asked.

The cheetah gagged from the taste and scrunched his face in a glower, “These aren’t eggs…they’re Torts.” He grabbed his milk and chugged most of it to get rid of the aftertaste.

Judy giggled at Ben’s analogy and introduced herself as she sat down next to Skye and Fru Fru, setting her tray down first and then the book next to it.

“Good morning everyone!”

“Morning Juju!” Fru Fru said.

“Morning Carrots!” Nick said.

“Morning Judy.” The others said.

While eating, Judy noticed no one else talking and glanced around to see the tired looks in their eyes. She didn’t know whether it was from waking up early or their recent workload of assignments. The doe was leaning towards a combination of both.

Jack finally spoke up after finishing his breakfast. “Okay everyone. How are we all doing on our outlines? Mine is up to date and I’ve sent you the copies.”

Clawhauser placed a stack of papers bounded by a rubber band on the table. “I’m almost done fixing mine’s up so you’ll get them by the end of the day.”

“I emailed your copies this morning.” Fru Fru said.

“Same here.” Nick concurred, taking a sip of coffee.

Judy slapped her forehead and groaned in frustration. “Oh I knew I forgot something!” She rummaged through her bag and pulled out the outline. “But I did finish revising it so I’ll email them later today.”

The others accepted her promise and they along with Judy turned to Skye, not hearing anything from the vixen about her outline.

“Skye,” Jack said. “What about Constitutional Law?”

“I ran into a problem with uploading the documents onto my computer. I’m going to do it in the computer lab later today.”

Jack sighed and shook his head in disappointment. The buck looked back at the arctic vixen and put on a smile. “Skye dear, your outline is very critical. We all need it for the exam coming up soon.”

The vixen narrowed her eyes at the buck, not too pleased with his condescending tone, “If I say the afternoon, I mean the afternoon!”

Ben quickly interjected in an attempt to diffuse the tension. “You all are going to love my outline! I’d say it’s on par with the professors here. I’m up to fifty pages and I’m still on the introduction.”

Nick chuckled at the cheetah’s remark. “Come on, Ben. We need an outline. Not a paper. We can’t handle your greatness.”

Unfortunately, the joke unintentionally rubbed the tired cheetah the wrong way and Nick found himself being stared down and towered over by Clawhauser. “You want some exercise right now Nick?”

“Ben, no! Sit down! We’re too tired to deal with this now.” Nick looked away and raised his paws, but one of his arms accidentally knocked over the glass of orange juice and spilling the liquid onto Clawhauser’s outline.

Panic struck the cheetah as he watched his work slowly become ruined. “My outline! You wrecked it! Don’t touch it!” He cried.

Jack facepalmed as the chaos unfolded. “So much for Property…” He muttered.

Seeing this, Nick quickly moved to separate the pages and grabbed a few napkins from the dispenser to clean up the mess. “Sorry Ben, it was an accident!”

But Ben wouldn’t have any of it and tried to keep the rest of the outline away from Nick, causing more pages to fall on the floor. “Drop the papers Wilde! I said don’t touch it!” He yelled.

The scene started to attract the attention of other students in the cafeteria, drawing a laugh from a few students and awkward stares from most.

Seeing that Clawhauser couldn’t be reasoned with and already in a terrible mood, Nick threw the ruined papers and used napkins down, “Fine then! Don’t take my help!” He then picked up his tray and bag. “I’ll see you all in Contracts.”

“Oh will you two stop it!” Jack chastised while gathering his own tray and bag. “Come on we got class in fifteen minutes. We’ll try this again later.”

Nick and Jack were gone before the others could stop them. Skye and Fru Fru proceeded to help Clawhauser clean up the mess and gather his papers.

“What a mess…” The cheetah mumbled, staring at his outline.

“You can fix later Ben," Skye said. "We’re going to be late." She gathered her bag and tray and left the table.

After Fru Fru cleaned up the juice, she went to retrieve her things when the arctic shrew noticed the worried look on Judy’s face. She got her belongings and went over to the bunny.

“You alright there Juju?” She asked.

Judy’s nose was twitching and her ears were down behind her head. Telltale signs that reinforced her worries. “Y-yeah. I’m fine.” The two knew it was a lie, but now was not the time to dwell on the matter. “Let’s get class before Bogo can embarrass us for being late. I’ll get your tray.”

Fru Fru nodded and accepted her offer. “Okay then. Thanks.”

The shrew was gone and so was Clawhauser, leaving Judy alone. The small blow up between Nick and Ben, and Jack and Skye replayed in her head and her thoughts drifted to the concerns she wrote in her letter to her parents. But Judy pushed that negativity aside and remained optimistic.

_It’s just a rough morning. It happens. Things will get better._

* * *

  
The group arrived just in time and hurried to their seats. The class carried on as normal with only a few usual instances of students not knowing the material.

“So to recap the principle of restitution,” Bogo said. “A mammal has unjustly enriched himself at the expense of another. It is then your obligation to force the wrongdoer to dispel the ill-gotten spoils and restore them to the injured party," Bogo walked to the board and picked up a piece of chalk. "Now, we will move on to the subject of specific performance,” He wrote the words on the board. “The case of Vitellynx v. Porkland Productions,” He turned to see a number of paws raised as expected. The Cape Buffalo put on his glasses and read a name from the seating chart. “Mr. Wilde.”

Nick stood up, “In Vitellynx v. Porkland Productions, the defendant promised to walk a tightrope across a gorge without a net. The plaintiff spent a large sum of money in setting up the tightrope and advertising the event. Hundreds of tickets were sold and the proceeds were to be donated to charity. When the defendant refused to perform, the plaintiff sued and requested the court to force the defendant to walk the rope, arguing for specific performance.”

“Thank you, Mr. Wilde,” Bogo checked his watch and saw the time, “In the next class, we will explore specific performance in more detail, but for now I will leave you with this. In specific performance, we put the lives of mammals directly in our possession. When you promise to perform, you shall perform. When you promise to walk the tightrope without a net, you shall walk it without a net. Out of all the principles in Contract Law, specific performance is the most difficult and the most dangerous to apply. Good day.”

While Bogo and the students gathered their belongings, Judy quickly left her seat and made her way to the front. “Professor Bogo, sir?”

Bogo stopped and gave her his attention, “Yes, what is it?”

“Professor, was the Vitellynx case ever appealed? I don’t believe the court should have granted specific performance in this case. There are times when it isn’t necessary to carry through with your promise—”

“Miss?”

“Hopps.”

“Miss Hopps, why don’t you tell me if the Vitellynx case was appealed?”

His question made her pause, having not expected that response, “Oh I don’t know. I thought since you wrote the casebook, I could ask.”

“If you don’t know the answer, it’s because you haven’t searched thoroughly enough to find out. In my class, I expect my students to fully research the subject in question before coming to me. I expect them to enlighten me. Perhaps your problem Miss Hopps is that you haven’t been doing enough work.”

Bogo gathered his books and began to leave, but Judy quickly caught up.

“Oh sir, but I’m working all the time. I have five other classes and also work part-time. There isn’t enough time for me to research every question. I’ve been trying hard to understand the material and Contract Law is my favorite—”

“If you’re having trouble keeping up Miss Hopps, I have disturbing news for you. The work becomes more demanding after you’re a lawyer. Not less.”

Judy’s ears fell and would have ended the conversation were it not for Bogo continuing.

“However, I will not ignore your question. So, go the library and use the books and online resources there to find your answer. Then present me with a report in my office the day after tomorrow before the next class meeting.” Bogo continued to the faculty-only entrance.

Judy accepted his answer and was about to leave until the last part hit her. Her ears shot up and her face widened in shock, “Wait, what?” She followed Bogo to the door.

The Cape Buffalo stopped momentarily to respond, “Before our next class meeting. I expect you to enlighten me.” He was out the classroom before Judy could inquire further.

The bunny stood exasperated at the door, thinking about the extra assignment she just got and having only 48 hours to complete it.

“What?!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Every professor is different and Judy knew what she was getting into when enrolling in Bogo's class. Compared to solving a Missing Mammals case in 48 hours, a report should be a piece of cake. Right?


	9. Kaboom

The school library, a place where students come to study, work on assignments, or just read. Many would consider it their home away from home with the amount of time they spend there. A few even used the place as an opportunity to catch up on sleep before their next class. Some wondered if libraries are still relevant when that same information can be found on the Internet. Others would argue their sentimental value and them being a place where one can access books for free, even if just temporarily.

In the Law School library, the study group was sitting at a long table but spread out a short distance from each other. Judy was at the computers preparing to send her outline to the others. Clawhauser was revising his Property outline, and the rest were working on their assignments.

Judy sighed in relief when she clicked the send button on her email and saw the confirmation. She took a moment to stretch her limbs when she heard Skye's voice.

“Finished?” The arctic vixen took a seat next to the doe.

Judy looked at her and nodded, “You?”

“Just finished revising the hard copy, and now I'm going to put it on the computer. I didn’t want to hog a seat while working on the hard copy.”

"I'd prefer doing that than the report for Bogo," Judy said while logging off her computer.

The vixen quietly chuckled as she logged onto hers. “At least he’s not doing it out of spite.”

“Things have been getting better between him and me since the first week. At least I think.” Judy looked at the others at the table for a moment and then back at Skye. “Don’t be too hard on Jack. We bunnies tend to be very organized and get a little ticked if our schedule goes crazy.”

“We foxes feel the same in the morning from being nocturnal, but I understand your point. Though you have to admit he could be less uptight.”

“True. It could be how he was raised. He reminds me of some of my siblings,” Judy grabbed her bags and got off the chair. “Time to work on that report. Good luck on your outline.”

Skye nodded and returned to her task while Judy joined the others at the table.

After claiming her seat, Judy went to retrieve a book for the report. Before working on her outline, she searched the library’s database and wrote down the locations of the material needed such volumes on Contracts and city-state reports. While retrieving the first book, the doe realized that she needed help carrying the ones written by Bogo, given their large size. She would ask the library staff for assistance in retrieving them later. Judy returned to the table with the book and began working on the first draft.

Some time had passed before Jack packed his papers and books into his bag. He then whispered to the others. “I’m going to head to the gym to blow off some stress. Does anyone want to join me?”

The others shook their heads or whispered their decline.

“Alright then, see you all at lunch.”

As they quietly said goodbye, Judy caught Jack approaching Skye and mentioning his offer. Even though the vixen quietly rejected his offer, she was happy to see what appeared to be no hostility between them. Judy made a mental note to ask Skye later.

After finishing a page, Clawhauser closed the book he was referencing for his outline and pushed the stack of papers aside. He got up and left to get another book. While Judy, Nick, and Fru Fru did their schoolwork, a library staff passed by their table to collect any unused books lying around. Judy and Fru Fru were left by themselves for a moment when Nick left the table but then came back shortly after.

Clawhauser returned with a new book and reached for his outline when he quickly noticed that it wasn’t where it was supposed to be. The cheetah swore that was where he left the outline. He checked around his area to see if it might have been accidentally moved and also his bag if he put the papers in there and forgot about it. When neither location yielded the outline, panic began to overcome the cheetah.

Clawhauser saw Nick sitting before him and leaned forward to whisper. “Have you been here all this time?”

Nick lifted his head and looked at the cheetah. “What?”

“You didn’t move from that seat at all while I was gone?”

"Only for a moment." Nick tried to return to his work. "Why?"

After hearing that, Clawhauser then turned to Fru Fru, “Fru did you see what happen to my outline?”

The arctic shrew shook her head. “No.”

The cheetah started to hyperventilate as worse case scenarios ran through his head. “You don’t understand. My outline is gone!” He stood up from his chair as the panic was on full display. “Clawhauser on Property stolen!”

“Will you calm down, Ben?” Fru Fru whispered.

“Not until I find my outline!” Clawhauser whispered loudly. “You got to help me!” He started searching around his chair to cover all the grounds.

“Are you sure you didn't take it with you and left it on a shelf somewhere?” Nick said.

Clawhauser lightly banged his paw on the table for emphasis. “No it was here! I saw it!” Unfortunately, his voice and behavior finally drew attention from students nearby.

_Shh!_

Clawhauser ignored the mammal shushing him first went over to Skye and tapped her shoulder. The vixen turned around in her chair and saw the panicked cheetah. “Skye have you seen my outline! My Property outline”

The arctic vixen shook her head. “No.”

“Are you sure?!”

“No how would I know? I’ve been glued to the screen the entire time.” She was also growing annoyed at his behavior and didn’t want to get in trouble for it.

_Shh! Came another mammal._

Clawhauser then went to Judy, thinking her hearing must have heard his outline being moved in the quiet environment, “Judy, have you seen my outline or hear anything happen to it?”

The doe shook her head. “No I haven’t. Sorry.”

_“Quiet!” A third mammal whispered._

Thinking he had lost his outline, Clawhauser wandered forward in despair. “No. No. It’s gone. It’s gone…”

Judy quickly left her seat and tried to prevent the cheetah from getting into trouble because of his behavior. “Ben, will you calm down!”

“I’m as calm as I can be!” He snapped.

_“Will you shut up?!”_

“Quiet Ben!” Judy chastised.

“Excuse me,” Judy and Clawhauser turned to see a library staff, a female giraffe, standing before them with an annoyed expression. “This is a library and we have rules about noise. I’m afraid I’ll have to ask the both of you to leave.”

The cheetah waved his paw nonchalantly at the mammal and moved past her, “Get lost we know it’s a library.” Ben’s outburst shocked Judy and the giraffe as he went over to a nearby sleeping student and rudely woke him up. “Hey, have you seen my outline?”

The giraffe quickly motioned with her hoof for another staff to come help with the situation.

Judy quickly tried to reason with the giraffe, “I’m trying to calm him down.”

“Will you get your things?” The giraffe said, not having any of it.

Irritated at being denied his search, Clawhauser walked up the giraffe and confronted her. “I’m not going to calm down! Someone stole my outline and that’s burglary!”

“Will you get your things?!” The giraffe shouted, finally at her limit.

At that moment, a male elephant staff joined them and towered over everyone else but the giraffe. He glared down at the offending mammals. The display caught Judy off guard but Clawhauser didn’t flinch, matching the elephant’s glare. They and the elephant continued to stare at each other until Judy and Clawhauser finally started moving toward their stuff.

“I can’t believe this!” Judy said, exasperated at being dragged into Clawhauser’s troubles and kicked out of the library as a result.

The two gathered their belongings and were escorted by the giraffe and elephant.

“Sorry, but you two are barred from the library until further notice.” The giraffe said.

The consequence caused Judy to stumble momentarily but she managed to recover. On the inside, she was screaming in rage and wanted to strangle Clawhauser.

Being temporarily banned from the library didn’t stop the cheetah from going on a tirade. “Some library! Some librarian! This isn’t a school library! It’s a prison library!”

Nick, Fru Fru, and Skye watched the scene unfold but were unable to get involved without facing punishment also. They could only feel anger at Clawhauser and pity for Judy as they disappeared from their sight. The library staff escorted Judy and Ben to the entrance where thankfully, the latter kept his mouth shut and didn’t cause any further commotion. At the exit, the bunny and the cheetah stormed out of the building, angry and frustrated for different reasons.

“Have you lost your mind Ben?!” Judy cried.

“Not in the mood Judy!”

“You got us kicked out of the library! Do you realize how serious that is?!”

“You have to help me find my outline, Judy! It could be anywhere by now!”

Judy groaned in frustration from Ben’s focus elsewhere. “Can you forget your outline for just one second, Ben! Do you have any idea what you’ve done to me?! I need to get this report for Bogo finished and now I’m banned from the library for who knows how long! I’ll have to go the public library to get my work done there and on top of that, I still have to work the lunch shift today!”

The two stopped at the bike racks where Judy began unlocking the chain to hers.

“But this is an emergency!” Clawhauser cried. “I need mammals to help find my outline!”

“Ben, I’ll owe you. Make a post on the Internet or something! Right now I’ve got too much to do!” With that, Judy got on her bike and took off for the public library.

Whether he was aware or not, in his frantic state, the cheetah shouted the words one should never say to Judy. “You’re crazy, Judy! You won’t get that report done for Bogo!”

Despite the distance she put between him and herself, Judy’s hearing still picked up Ben’s shouting. This caused her to pedal faster in an effort to get to the library and get some research done. She also promised herself to make the mammal who stole the outline pay for causing all this later. In the midst of her determination, she failed to see the oncoming car when crossing the road. The last thing she remembered was hearing a loud car horn and tires screeching and then feeling the world spin.

The driver of the car, a white female rabbit with red eyes, quickly left the vehicle and went to the front where she saw Judy laying on the ground and being tended to by nearby students who witnessed the accident. The rabbit driver was thankful that it wasn’t a larger mammal who hit the bunny or that she hadn’t hit an even smaller mammal. Either could have led to a more worse outcome.

“Oh I’m so sorry! Are you alright?!” The white rabbit exclaimed.

Judy managed to move and lift herself into a sitting position. “Ugh…yeah, it’s nothing serious.”

The other doe couldn’t believe Judy's nonchalant response to the accident. “Nothing serious?! I just hit you with my car! You could have a concussion or broken bones! You need to get to the campus infirmary quick!”

Judy was able to stand on her feet and recover her bike which received only minor damages from the collision and was still operational. “I’m fine! Really! I don’t feel hurt at all. Thanks for your concerns and don’t worry about the bike. I’ll pay for the repairs since it's my fault.” She got back on and resumed riding but only made a few feet before falling over again.

The other doe cringed at the sight and from hearing Judy groan in pain. That was enough to make her decision regardless of Judy’s protests.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've always wondered how Clawhauser react if he witnessed someone destroying a Gazelle merchandise. This is probably doesn't come anywhere near that but it scratches the surface. 
> 
> I have no shame in admitting that I slept in the library between classes. Even going far as making it look like I'm doing work with an open notebook and pens lying around. Still do, but this semester has afford longer intervals.


	10. Catalyst

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back with another chapter! Just like last year, a new school year for some so another chapter for a story in a school setting. Enjoy!

The clock struck noon at Finnick's Tavern, signaling its employees that the lunch rush would soon be upon them. A member of the study group, Jack Savage, entered the establishment, hoping to find a table before the location became full and was in luck to see very few mammals inside. The buck strolled pass the tables and other patrons in search of either Nick or Judy.

He finally caught the former, who was currently cleaning a table, and strolled up to him. "Nick!"

The fox turned in the direction of the voice to see Jack. "Hey Jack." He said, giving a nod.

"You got us a table for the meeting?"

Nick pointed with his finger, and Jack followed it to an empty booth in the corner.

"Thanks. Have you seen Judy? I don't see her around."

Nick shook his head, "She's supposed to be working right now."

"Do you know where she is?"

"I haven't seen her since she got kicked out of the library this morning."

"Ah yes, the others told me about that. I feel bad for the mammal who stole the outline when Ben and Judy find out."

"You have no idea. I do hope it was an accident, but I'm more worried for Ben than Judy."

"After what happened this morning, I agree."

Nick finished setting up the table he was working on before Jack arrived. "Let me go tell Finnick, and I'll join you later."

Jack nodded and proceeded to sit down in the booth. Not too long after, Skye and Fru Fru with her polar bear Troy joined the buck. The vixen took her seat while Troy set the shrew down on the table and then stood next to the booth. Nick made sure to accommodate the large predator when reserving a table.

"Hello," Skye said.

"Hi." Fru Fru said.

"Hey girls," Jack said. He noticed that Judy was not with them. "Do you two know where Judy is? I didn't see her working when I came in."

The girls shook their heads. At that moment, a sullen Clawhauser appeared, dragging his feet and a chair behind him. He placed the chair at the edge of the table and plopped onto it, dropping his head onto the table.

"I feel sick." The cheetah muttered.

"I heard about your outline," Jack said.

Clawhauser looked at his friends with a pleading look. "You all have to help me."

Before they could answer, Nick finally joined the group. "Alright, Finnick's let me go on break. Let's get started."

"What about Judy?" Fru Fru asked, concerned for her friend.

"I hate to start without her," Nick said regrettably. "But Finnick's not giving me much time because of the lunch shift. Don't worry. If she arrives when we finish, I'll fill her in while we work."

"Speaking of Judy, she told me that she emailed her outline before being kicked out," Skye said. "I checked later and can confirm."

"That takes care of her," Jack said. "What about you Skye?"

The arctic vixen sighed heavily, "My files got corrupted. I spent fifteen minutes trying to recover them but no luck. I have to rescan the outline again."

Jack let out a frustrated sigh, "This is not how the group is supposed to work. I plan my whole day around these meetings."

Again, Skye narrowed her eyes at the buck, but she appreciated him for being blunt this time. "Don't you talk to me like that! I apologize for my troubles, but this was beyond my control."

The buck crossed his arms, "If you think this group is important enough, you should arrive with your work whether you're on time or being late. If not, you might as well leave."

"Well that's a little extreme." Skye retorted.

"That's law school." Jack rebutted.

Nick felt his phone buzz in his pocket and quickly took the device out, grateful for the brief distraction. He grew more cheerful to see it was Judy calling. "It's Judy!"

The growing argument quickly dissipated, and the others paid close attention to Nick as he answered the call.

"Hey Carrots, where are you? Finnick's getting upset at you not showing up for work…wait, you're not Judy…What?...When?...How bad?...Alright, thanks for calling. Her friends and I will be there as soon as possible." He hung up, and the others saw his worried expression.

"What happened to Judy?" Skye asked, assuming it was serious from Nick's reaction.

"She's in the campus infirmary." He deadpanned. "She got hit by a car."

Everyone else, including the polar bear, gasped in horror and had terrified looks. Clawhauser especially.

"What are we waiting for?!" Fru Fru cried.

"You guys go on ahead," Nick said, standing up. "I'll try to get off as soon as possible."

The others agreed and wasted no time hurrying to their injured friend. Meanwhile, Nick set about finishing his tasks, hoping that the day's lunch rush would not keep him too occupied.

* * *

 

In the campus infirmary, Judy was laying on a bed and staring at the ceiling with her arms crossed. The white rabbit who hit Judy was sitting nearby, keeping watch on her since she already refused to seek medical attention. The campus police had already come in to file the accident report, and both rabbits agreed to not press the matter further. The two saw an otter nurse enter the room, only to check on the supplies before exiting shortly after. Judy grunted in frustration and tried to leave the bed when the white rabbit appeared in front of her.

"Hold it right there!" The white doe gave her a stern look. "You aren't going anywhere until you get looked at!"

Judy ignored her and succeeded in leaving the bed, but the accident left her limping which only served to hinder her efforts to leave and allow the white rabbit to stop her. Judy tried to sidestep her but each time, the latter blocked her path. After multiple failed attempts, Judy groaned in frustration but refused to return to the bed, standing her ground. The rabbits stared each other down as their feet thumped on the floor, which was slower for Judy.

Judy then decided to reason with the rabbit if she couldn't force her way out, "Look, I've waited long enough, and no one has come to check on me. Besides, I need to get my report for Bogo finished, and I've got to try to get back in the library!"

"No, I will do everything I can to keep you here until a doctor arrives! Now if you want to work until you're dead be my guest, but first let's see if you can work!"

Hearing the kernel of truth in her words and with the help of the ongoing pain, Judy finally calmed down and used the opportunity to get a better look at the white rabbit. The doe was wearing a light blue blouse and a darker blue skirt. Judy also noted her clean appearance, and with that information, she took a guess. "You're a law student right?"

The white rabbit let out a frustrated sigh, "Yes."

Seeing that she was gaining common ground, Judy pressed on, "Then you must understand the pressure I'm going through. I've been up practically all night. I got kicked out of the library. I got hit by a car. I'm exhausted! And the more I stay here, the more I fall behind."

It was the white rabbit's turn to find out information about Judy. "What's your name?"

The question caught her off guard, but she answered right away. "Judy."

The white rabbit then narrowed her eyes, "Judy, lie down on the bed."

"I can't get any work done if I do!"

Her patience at her limit, the white rabbit stomped her foot and clenched her fists. "Will you please do as I say?!"

Her yelling shocked Judy into silence, and it took a few moments before Judy finally, but reluctantly limp back to bed. The white rabbit stayed close in case she started to fall. Judy slowly climbed on the bed and lied down, facing her head at the other rabbit. "And what's your name?"

She took her place by Judy's side again. "Natalie."

"Natalie," Judy said more softly. "I appreciate all your help. I really do, but I have to work."

"Yes, you told me. Now I'll try to hurry the doctor. But in the meantime, lie down and rest. I've taken the liberty of calling your friends so they'll be here soon to keep you company."

"Thank you." But then she pointed a finger at her. "But if I fall asleep, you better wake me up!"

Natalie rolled her eyes at the request and exited the room, but not before checking one last time if Judy tried to leave.

Staring at the ceiling, Judy was feeling the pain in her legs and her left side from where the car hit. In an effort to distract herself, Judy turned her attention to the clock hanging on the wall. Her eyes widened at the current time, suddenly remembering the study group meeting at Finnick's during lunch. Panicking, the doe shot up from the bed, flinching from the pain and grasping the afflicted area.

"Okay," She grunted. "Never do that again."

Judy heard the doors open and, expecting Natalie with a doctor, was surprised to see her friends rushing into the room. She was even more surprised to see Nick not with them.

"Judy!" Fru Fru cried, seeing the bunny clutching her side. "Oh my goodness! Are you alright?!"

"Nothing serious," She said, relaxing her grip. "I'm still waiting for a doctor. Sorry for missing the study group meeting."

Skye shook her head. "Forget about it. We had just started when someone called Nick about your accident."

Judy felt relieved that she didn't miss much, "That's good, but where's Nick? Didn't he come with you?" She kept looking at the door, hoping he would appear any moment now.

"He needed to get permission from Finnick," Jack said.

"Oh no! The lunch shift!" Judy cried, having just occurred to her that she was currently missing work.

"Don't worry Juju," Fru Fru said. "I'm sure Nick explained your situation to Finnick and they're working something out. That and Finnick may need him for a couple of tables before he can come."

Judy smiled from the reassurance, reminding herself to thank Nick later. Her eyes slowly drifted to a meek Clawhauser, who was keeping himself distant from everyone else. She finally realized that he has not said anything since coming in. The doe knew the reason for his guilt. With a firm resolve, Judy decided the time was now to settle the matter.

"Ben,"

The others were quiet as the cheetah slowly moved forward to the bed, still avoiding eye contact and remaining silent. Everyone else slowly stepped away, leaving them two by themselves. Silence prevailed in the room as Judy remained calm while Clawhauser kept his eyes averted.

Finally, the cheetah mustered the courage to speak and raised his head at Judy.

"I'm sorry Judy. It's my fault you got hurt." Remorse and sadness filled his voice.

"Hey hey." She quickly interrupted before the tears flowed. "Yes, I'm upset that your behavior led to this, but it's the mammal who took your outline who is responsible for all this."

He slowly shuffled his feet around. "I still feel horrible for what happened."

"Ben, I promise that I'll help find your outline and the mammal after I finish my report."

"We'll help too!" Fru Fru concurred.

Jack and Skye nodded in agreement.

"Thanks everyone," Clawhauser said, cheering up from the encouragement.

At that moment, a deer doctor and the same otter nurse Judy saw earlier entered the room.

"Good afternoon, Judy," The deer said. "My apologies for the delays. Let's get you checked out. I'll have to ask everyone else to leave please."

The others stood outside while the doctor and the nurse diagnosed the extent of Judy's injuries. While waiting, they noticed a nervous white rabbit standing with them.

"Oh hi there!" Ben greeted. "Who are you?"

"Natalie," The white rabbit twiddled her fingers, her ears drooping behind her head, "I'm the one who made the call and brought her here. I'm…also the one who hit Judy. I'm sorry."

"Oh you poor thing!" Fru Fru cried. "But none of us here blames you for the accident. We're actually grateful for helping Judy. It could have been worse."

Natalie chuckled, "She actually tried to brush it off. I had to drag her here myself. Kept mumbling about a report for Bogo."

"That's Judy alright," Jack said. "Long story short: she has to do a report for Bogo in 48 hours. She was working on it on the law library when she got kicked out and had to go to the public one."

Natalie nodded, now understanding the circumstances. "That makes sense, and that's Bogo for you. Always challenging you to find the answers to your questions. As someone took him, you'll come to appreciate his teaching."

"Thanks for the confidence boost," Skye said.

At that moment, the doors opened, and the students saw the otter nurse standing in the doorway.

"You can come in now. The doctor is finished."

They reentered the room to see the doctor wrapping bandages around one of Judy's legs and her head.

"All done." The doctor said. She then handed Judy an icepack. "Put this on your head to keep the swelling down. One should be enough."

"Thank you, Doctor," Judy smiled. "I feel much better. When can I leave?"

Seeing the doctor's smile wane told her the news was not good. "I'm afraid you will need to stay here for the rest of the day so we can watch for concussion symptoms."

"What?!" Judy groaned in pain from the reaction but continued on. "I can't stay here all day! I have work to do!"

The deer placed her paws on the hips and had a serious expression on her face. "And you can't work if your brain doesn't cooperate. Perhaps your friends here can arrange something, but you need to rest so you can recover. That's final." She motioned to the otter who then began collecting the medical supplies. "I'll be back later to check on you."

The doctor and nurse took their leave.

"Well at least you'll only miss the rest of today," Clawhauser reassured. "Don't worry Judy. We'll make sure to get all the missing work."

"Thanks everyone."

Hearing her sullen tone and seeing her looking absentmindedly, the others knew that Judy had only one thing on her mind. They realized that nothing else can be done for now and decided it would be best for her to rest.

"Sorry Juju," Fru Fru said reluctantly. "But we have to go now. Classes and all."

The doe slowly nodded. "I understand."

"I'll stay here and watch her," Natalie said, taking a seat by the bed. "Your friend Nick will want to meet me."

"Much appreciate Natalie," Jack said. "And thanks again for taking care of Judy."

"We'll try to stop by later," Skye said. "See you soon."

Judy and Natalie watched the former's friends leave until they were alone in the room once again.

Judy then turned to Natalie with a remorseful look. "I'm sorry for keeping you from your work. You must have a busy schedule."

Natalie pointed over to her bag nearby, "I have everything I need. Besides, I was on my way to lunch when we crossed paths. Literally."

"Oh no, I'm sorry!" For, Judy, knowing Natalie must be hungry was worse than her missing work. "You can go eat while we wait for Nick. Seriously, I promise to rest."

"I believe you, but I prefer waiting until your other friend arrives." Natalie decided to change topics and wanted to know why Judy was in such a rush earlier. "I do have to ask. How much of your grade depends on this report?"

"Actually, Bogo never specified. Only to meet him in his office with it, but I can't take that risk."

"I know very well about him and assumptions," Natalie nodded. "I did have him for Contracts. Still, you need to relax. There's no need to kill yourself over a report."

Judy scoffed while lying down, careful to move very little and keeping the ice on her head. "As if law school isn't already doing that to me. Others too," She sighed heavily. "You give up sleep. Hygiene. Appearance. All that good stuff. But even then, there doesn't seem to be enough time. Every day it's the same routine. It's gotten to the point where all I see is Bogo telling me to be prepared for class," She then did her impression of the Cape Buffalo. "You must be prepared, Hopps. There are no excuses. "

Hearing that caused Natalie to pity Judy, reminding her that she too was once in her situation. "It still doesn't justify overexerting yourself." She tried to reason.

"Well if I'm going to be a lawyer, I can't go to court unprepared."

Natalie sighed heavily. "You're taking this too seriously, Judy."

The gray doe raised an eyebrow at the statement. "Oh? And you didn't when you were a 1L?"

Natalie shrugged her shoulders. "It was different for me."

"Really?" She became more curious by her response.

Natalie nodded, "It was different because I never needed help. I did everything by myself. Of course, that's just how I am."

Before Judy could ask another question, a phone buzzing drew her attention, and she saw Natalie reach into her pocket.

The white rabbit saw the caller ID. "Excuse me. I got to take this."

Judy nodded and waited patiently as Natalie answered the call.

"Hello...Yes, I'm alright. I didn't get hurt…Don't worry. I'll explain when I return. In the meantime, you're in charge…Thank you, and don't forget to check the citations. The issue goes to the printer soon. Goodbye."

Natalie ended the call and turned to see a curious and intrigued Judy looking at her.

"What? I have friends." The white rabbit's voice was filled with sarcasm.

"No, no, it's not that," Judy replied, shaking her head and waving her free paw. "If you don't mind me asking, where do you work?"

"Well," Natalie challenged. "You're a law student. You figure it out."

Judy accepted it wholeheartedly and began digging through what she currently knew about Natalie. The first thing she focused on was her year. Natalie had to be either a 2L or 3L when she mentioned taking Bogo for Contracts.

"You're definitely not a 1L."

"That's a start, but I don't think that's what you were looking for."

"I know, but it helps narrow down the options."

Judy's mind went to Natalie's phone call just a few moments ago. The way she asserted herself to the mammal on the other end led her to believe that she was the boss in some office. Judy then recalled her mentioning the issue going to the printer, meaning she must work for a publishing organization. In law school, Judy knew there could only be one thing. Slowly, the pieces came together in her mind, and she came to a surprising yet exciting conclusion about Natalie.

Judy gazed in awe at the rabbit sitting before her. "You're the President of Law Review."

Natalie smiled at her answer and nodded. "Correct."

Judy had to restrain herself from becoming too excited and further agitating the pain, but on the inside, she was doing backflips. "Wow! President of the Law Review!" She began firing off the questions. "Tell me! How did you do it? How did you get the best grades and write the best papers? How? What did you do?"

Natalie let out a chuckle at her enthusiasm but then looked Judy in the eye as she gave her answer. "Work. Every. Single. Day."

Before Judy could respond, the rabbits heard the door burst open and a voice cried out.

"Carrots!"

Judy and Natalie turned to see a panicking Nick standing at the door, who was also holding a box in both paws

"Nick!" Judy cried. "You're here!" Excitement filled her again at him finally arriving.

"Yeah," He walked over to a nearby table to set the box down before standing next to Judy. "Sorry for being late. Did others explain my situation?"

Judy nodded and then her nose picked up the smell from the box. "Is that pizza?"

"Yeah," Nick said, tapping the box with his paw. "I thought that since you missed lunch I could bring something for you."

"Oh Nick, you didn't have to! Wait, did you pay for that?"

Nick shook his head. "Nah, it was a canceled order so Finnick let me have it free of charge. Veggie pizza too. "

If she weren't in pain, Judy would have gotten emotional, but she still expressed her gratitude, "Thank you, Nick."

It was then that Nick finally noticed Natalie nearby. "Who's the rabbit?"

"I'm Natalie. I'm the one who called you and brought Judy here." She had the sullen look again and her ears were drooping. "I'm…also the one who ran into Judy."

"It's okay," Nick reassured. "I heard the whole story. I'm not angry. I'm glad for you helping Judy. She can be one stubborn bunny."

The remark got an eye roll from Natalie. "Tell me about it."

"I'm right here you know!" Judy exclaimed, annoyed at the current roasting going on.

"Don't deny it," Nick said, smirking.

Judy gave a huff and faced away from the two. Natalie could hear her whispering Dumb Fox and had to restrain a giggle.

"Well my work here is done," The white rabbit stretched her arms and hopped off the chair. "I need to get back to Law Review. Like your friends, I'll try to stop by later tonight. If not, tomorrow."

"Alright then," Judy said.

The white rabbit had gathered her belongings and was on her way out when Judy quickly called out to her.

Natalie paused to see what Judy wanted.

"Take some pizza. You must be hungry after taking care of me."

Natalie shook her head, trying not to impose. "Oh I can't do that."

"I insist," Nick said, holding out the open box and a napkin for her.

Just looking at the veggie pizza and the smell reaching her nose were making it difficult for her not to say yes. The final straw came when her stomach grumbled. She cupped her belly in embarrassment and finally gave in. "Thank you." She took the napkin and used it to take two slices. "It was nice meeting you both."

Nick and Judy waved her goodbye and were left alone in the room.

"Don't even say it, Nick," Judy warned, glaring at the fox and pointing a finger at him. "I'm already dealing with enough for one day, and Natalie already lectured me about not watching the road."

"Oh good! She did most of the work for me." He said, sitting down at the foot of the bed and laying the pizza between him and Judy.

"Har har."

Nick chuckled. "Believe me. The urge is strong, but I do have my limits. How are you feeling?"

"The doctor wants me to stay overnight to watch for a concussion," Judy reached forward and picked up a slice. "Other than that it's only scrapes and bruises."

"Good. You need the rest," Nick brought his bag on the bed and unzipped it to bring out two water bottles. "Drink?"

"Thank you," Judy placed the bottle beside her before resuming on the pizza.

Nick first took a sip of water and then grabbed a slice. "So, what did you and Natalie talk about before we came?"

"Well, I found out that she's the president of the Law Review."

"Wow, talk about a first impression. I can tell she felt really bad."

"She did," After finishing two slices, Judy started drinking her water. "After that, I explained why I was in a hurry and my report for Bogo. You can save me the conversation about overworking in law school. I already had it with Natalie."

"I mean she does have a point," Nick said, chewing on his slice. "I'm actually jealous of you right now. Getting the afternoon off to rest while the rest of us slaves away on casebooks."

"I don't. It's going to be harder to a good job on the report now!"

"Carrots. You're acting like you did in the first week again." He hated to have to remind her, but it needed to be done.

But the realization brought little comfort to Judy. "Ugh! I know, but it just feels like that after finally climbing out of the hole, I fall right back in," She looked down at her legs, feeling gloomy. "I just want to be at the top." She said softly.

The sadness in her voice ached at Nick, but he knew that her drive was not something that will change. The best he could do is try to reason and reassure her. "I understand, Fluff. But will Bogo really think any different of you if the report is subpar? What if he ends up making it extra credit?"

Judy had to resist commenting that Natalie said something similar. Instead, she gave a similar response. "No, but that doesn't mean I shouldn't put the effort to make a great report," She decided to change topics, hoping to lighten the mood. "Anyways, how did the study group meeting go?"

Nick sighed heavily as he prepared to deliver the bad news. "Just like breakfast. Jack making it clear of his displeasure for the group being disorganized." A smile grew on his face and he chuckled, making Judy wonder what was so funny. "I think your accident may have stopped a fight from breaking out between him and Skye."

Judy wanted to be upset, but even that got her to giggle. "It's not been our day has it."

Nick shared his own chuckle. "No, it hasn't. It makes me more worried how the rest of the week will play out."

Judy pushed the pizza aside and slowly reached forward to place an assuring paw on Nick's. "We'll get through this. You should focus on keeping the group together. Natalie can keep me company if I end up staying longer. It's nice to have a little bunny girl time every now and then." Her mind then went to another point she wanted to ask. "Does Finnick know about the accident?"

Nick nodded, "Yeah, don't worry your job is safe. I may have to take on more hours until you return but judging from how you look. You should be back in no time."

"Darn right I will!"

The two broke out in laughter from Judy's enthusiasm. In spite of a string of bad luck since the morning, Nick and Judy were happy for this moment of happiness.

"Oop!" Nick suddenly exclaimed. "Nature calling. I'll be right back."

Judy had to restrain a laugh from the way Nick leaped from the bed and skipped towards the restroom. She sighed heavily and laid back down, staring at the ceiling to pass the time. But the act was making her eyelids grow heavy. Before sleep could consume her, she shook her head which woke her up promptly.

Darn food coma...

Judy searched around the room for anything to keep her awake. Her eyes fell on the clock hanging on the wall, and she focused on the seconds ticking by. Unfortunately, the act only increased her drowsiness, and her eyelids grew heavy again.

When Nick returned from the bathroom, he was surprised to find Judy snoozing away. Taking care not to disturb her, he walked over to clean up their trash and gather his belongings. Standing next to the bed, he smiled at how peaceful she looked sleeping. Leaving her soda behind and seeing how Judy was already on top of the blanket, Nick chose to ruffle the fur in her head which caused her to smile and stir slightly in her sleep.

He himself smiled at the behavior before letting Judy have some well-earned rest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit of good fortune has finally touched our characters. Will there be more or is that all they will be getting?


End file.
